Rejection - how do you take yours?

I just read a blog post on social media, about a nail tech who was upset that one of her long standing clients called up to say she is going to someone else because they are cheaper.  It happens to all of us and it is a sucker punch to the stomach when it does...but why? 

The client was made redundant and the justification for the move was plausible, she is doing what is best for her self and her life. We have all done it, found a different hair dresser which is closer, or cheaper, changed educator because someone else offers something different, we have even changed brands of coffee cause they have been on offer or shopped in a different super market.

The tech who posted about her customers betrayal on the social media post went onto to say that she was worried for her business, that it kept her up at night. 

I totally related to this, understanding the tortured and torment we put ourselves through when a client decides to go somewhere else. What we have to realise is essentially we are feeling rejected!

In Latin  rēicere, rejection means "to throw back," and is the ancestor of the word rejection. Nobody likes to feel  rejection, to have something thrown back at you, because it makes us feel as if we are not good enough. 

If you are confident that you do a great job, that your  up to date with education and offer the latest application methods. Then there is nothing more you can do and you should accept it and move on. 

But it is hard right? Not taking this as a personal rejection, we put our everything into our craft, so how come someone else can't appreciate it. Put yourself in your clients  position, think about the times you have gone for something  better, brighter or cheaper.  Did you worry about how the person who used to provide you with a service would think, did you personally reject her or where you thinking about your own self and how to better your own situation.

You client is never rejecting you when she leaves, she is thinking of her self and how she can manage her life the best way she can. It is nothing personal, and when you start thinking that way you can move on and sleep better. It has taken  me 45 years to understand that human nature is essential selfish and we are only ever considering how we personally feel about something. 

How can you make your self feel better in that moment of rejection? How do you change the negative thought process? 

Well I zoom into the other persons shoes and look at her position, I begin to realise she is not even thinking or considering me at all.  She is doing what I am doing thinking about what is best for myself and how I FEEL about it.

I know what your biggest nail art hurdle is.

Because I have faced them myself!  One of the biggest stumbling block to creating Nail art is finding inspiration.  The second hurdle for many of my students is the lack of skills to translate this into a nail design.

Inspiration is every where, all around us we see colours, shapes and designs, but the skill is translating that onto a nail and coming up with a design. 

The one thing I see nail techs do over and over again is over compensate because of their lack of confidence and just keep adding more!  The skill of becoming a great nail artist is working out how to translate your inspiration and put the design together over 10 different nails to make it look complete.

What I am noticing is that there are a lot of nail techs looking to social media for inspiration, in fact lets loose the word social media - nail techs are looking at other peoples work and trying to recreate the looks they like.

This is where their problems start! STOP right there! Copying other peoples looks and designs will not only stunt your creativity and  hinder you, making you doubt your abilities and leave you frustrated! 

What you need to do, is find a design you like, and think about the actual application.

Ask your self....HOW? 

What did they use to create the look, was it pigment, did they get the fine lines with the nail art pen or a brush, was using alcohol and ink how they got that effect. Learn HOW, and then put forget the image. Instead draw from your inner creative and use what you have learnt to develop your own unique style. Pull two or three different nail looks together, use a technique or application from one, and colour combination from another. Perhaps the lines and patterns from a third.

Then you have a brand NEW look in your own style, and you feel good about your work!

Remember one thing I always tell my students above all else!

You need to K.I.S.S your nails.

"Keep them simple & sexy"

Arabella Forms - the things you could do!

This weekend I ran a fantasy workshop in Warwick, and it struck me as I was using the Arabella forms, just how popular this reusable plastic mould has become in the industry. I am  delighted when I randomly see people on Facebook using  the Arabella's to create their master pieces, or mention them in a comment.

This month (October 2014) on the Be Creative website, we have a great offer running - you can receive 25% off your set of Arabella's...nice savings we thought, and I wanted to high light some great steps for you which we have done using the forms. Just in case you missed them.

The reason the forms where created was to help produce fantasy art work, but it soon came apparent that these forms, with their in built C curve, could create some time saving stickers and embellishments too.

SWANS in gel

Using Gel paints we created both these designs, the swan and the rose, simply top with a gel polish top coat and peel off. 

ROSE in gel

HOLLY in acrylic

Christmas is  around the corner - and to help you start prepping!  Here is a great acrylic embellishment step by step I created...I make these before my clients come, and they have them as a gift from me each year on their ring finger. 

The Holly step by step link can be found on this blog - CLICK HERE

There are so many other looks, designs and inspiration out there, and I know I don't catch them all, please please share with me HERE on the Arabella form Facebook page what you have created using our Forms.

To buy your pack - visit our website www.sambiddle.co.uk - for October only receive 25% off.

Check out the website for a short film on how to create the rose, swan and an additional Blue butterfly, using one stroke. CLICK HERE

Adding pigment to Gel...damn it is not curing?

WARNING! - this is not a scientific post. This post is written in basic terms...! 

I have just replied to an email from someone who is having problems with curing their gel once they have added pigment to it. This is not the first email I  have gotten about this so I thought I should  address this little "school boy error" here on my blog, mainly to save me time re typing the same  thing over again, but I also think it is a common mistake we can make....because we just don't think about it with our left brain. 

Using your left brain  means you have a more analytic, rational and logical style of thinking, but if we are remotely creative or curious, which I think most artistic people are...we are dominated by the right brain. That doesn't mean we don't switch sides when we need to...but come on be honest when faced with bright beautiful colours and glitters.... don't you just keep adding more regardless... I know I could. 

So why is your gel not curing? Well there are a few things which could be going wrong.....
1. lamp needs to be stronger or new bulbs
2. your adding too much pigment to the gel
3. your applying your gel too thick

Lets start with No 2, because most of you will of course know your lamp is fine, your bulbs are correct (did you know even LED have different strengths) and you don't need to get a new one.

Adding pigment to gel ;
There is a whole range of different you tube videos, instructions and advice out there on the world wide web about how to mix pigment, make up and additives to your gel polish...I can't and won't  comment on those, or even tell you if they work successfully or not....I can only tell you about our pigments from the Be Creative range. 
Lets start with the basics,  When you add another source to gel, hard gel, gel polish or soft gel it doesn't matter...you are disturbing the chemical make up of the gel, you are adding an additional product which will inhibit the UV/Led light to penetrate and cure. So we need to be mindful on the amount you add.  The Be Creative pigments, lets use the primary ones as an example, are 'pure'. I am not saying this as a sales point, I really mean it, there is NOTHING else in it to bulk out the pigment. That is why we only have tiny little pots of the stuff. So when you start mixing it into gel, you only need the smallest crumb. 
Now I know from experience...I start mixing the red nothing happened...this little crumb might stain the gel...but it looks rubbish and I want to add more.... 

Keep mixing, eventually the red will break down and you will find it will get stronger. If you find it is not strong enough...add another crumb...but no more! Remember the LIGHT penetration dilemma we have. 
So now you have a gel...it looks a bit wishy washy...and you think...'this is not looking like a gel polish colour to me, why have I done this?'

.....hmmmmm yes why have you done this? 
Let me come back to that point in a minute.......

So now we are at issue 3 application...

As a rule with any gel polish application, the thicker the application the less efficient the cure.  This also applies with regular polish...it takes longer to dry the thicker layers. It is a false economy to imagine 2 thick coats will be better than 3 or 4 thin ones, for a start you will get more lifting sooner and it won't be as hard wearing.  

WHY?

Because the Thinner coats allow more light to penetrate the layer. So now we have our wishy washy looking colour and we want to apply an all over polish look....it is going to take a few more layers to get the vibrant red look we are after...so lets add more pigment.....NO! 

More pigment...less light penetration - less curing! 

Get the picture? Just in case you don't...imagine these blinds on the window is the extra pigment you add to the gel, turn the blind (add more pigment) and we block the light......! 

Although it might say on your instructions to mix the gel and pigment together, I didn't mean for you to create full cover nails with it,  I do mix pigment and gel when I am creating designs or doing art work, but for a full coverage...I will go with what is meant to be hard wearing and long lasting and pick up a gel polish colour. 

So let me tell you how to create full cover colour with pigment in half the time. 

Lately I have been  creating full colour nails with the pigments....taking me very little time to do so as well. I also mainly use White or Black gel polish to achieve this look and this is my suggestion for you to save time, effort and stressing over non curing issues. 

The gel polish leaves a sticky layer once cured...press in the pigment to this layer....there is no mixing, no worrying and it is much quicker to apply.  The bonus you have control over the application s well....you do't have to chase the gel over the nail. You can create a blend, layer the pigment colours and glitters, you can even scratch off the pigment to create a pattern and the colour shows up underneath. 

I hope this has been helpful ...my advice don't try and cut corners and make your own colours for gel polish...buy them..they are designed for that job......use the pigments for art and creating back grounds. 

Hows your creative flow?

So we all get it...that creative block.......where your brain freezes and all those ideas on the cusp of existence has melted away as soon as you sit in front of a set of nails. 

It might be that you normally have no problem coming up with some creative magic, combining colour and flicking your brush to produce 'art'...and then all of a sudden....your brain is mush and your ideas are burned under the reams of 'to do's'.

Here are 3 quick and effective tips to getting back on the Creative train:

1. Take a moment.....forcing the issue is not going to help, you need to leave everything behind and get away from the desk (either office or nail).....walk the dog, go for a swim, drive in the car and turn up the stereo really loud. you physically need to leave the room, and remove the visual stimulus which is dragging your thoughts away from all that is inspiring. Getting some clarity and peace in your mind; it allows it to reboot....it is magically organising your brain and your inspiration will pop up like new crocuses in May. 

 2. Some times we get stuck beginning a design, we don't know where to start. In our heads we have an idea or maybe a thousand, and they are swimming around like tadpoles.  grab a tip and the nearest polish, paint or pigment and just let your fingers do the talking. This nail is a throw away nail, but I find that just taking a step towards your end goal, releases the crowded mind, all of a sudden you will find you put the throw away nail down and start working on something you really want to do. 

3. More often than not we hit a point in our art work where we don't know where to go....do we stop? Do we use another colour? do we give up? You know the conversation you have in your mind.....well all you need to do is  hop on your mental helicopter and get an Ariel view of your work.....this works by stepping away from the nail....go grab a cup of tea or go for a wee. Then come back to it with fresh eyes. Another great trick is to take a photo of it with your phone, it looks totally different. The reason for this is that we as woman process a 2D image better than 3D. 

I hope this helps, I would love to hear your comments. Sam 

Marching on!

Yikes....! 

March is knocking on the door....
like a surprised visit from a long lost relative, there is a vague sense of unease as you answer the door and hug and kiss....those unanswered question ffiltering into your mind 'how long will they stay'.... 'why are they here' and .... ' whats her name again?'....well maybe not the last one....but a sense of panic always comes about me when March arrives....I am nearly a quarter of the way through the year and all those resolutions and goal settings I did are still on my list.....hmmmmm thinking about it where is my list? Not only that I am no way near hitting my target weight for that polka dot bikini. 

So here we find our selves and out business slowly poking its head out of the last couple of months, little cash-flow to speak of, and thinking about how the next few months will pan out and what we can do to boost ourselves up the ladder of achievement. 

IT IS TIME FOR ACTION!
we have receive red from Christmas rush, we are done hibernating throughout January and the drama of February is now over! so let us begin to look forward and see what we can do for our Business. 

Here are 5 'to do' for March! 

1. Look at social marketing and make a plan. 
Do you have a personnel time line on Face book and a business page. do not under estimate the power of marketing through Face book, just by posting daily on your page about the nails you do will enhance your local customer base. You page, if your a salon should be for your clients and not filter out to other Nail professionals. 
Build up your 'professional' friend list on your own time line, talk to them and watch what is happening around the world, although not the only source, Face book is a wealth of information. Now look outside 'nails' and check out fashion, hair and makeup and look at how other brands market them selves. 

2. March madness! if you haven't done so already, it seems this is the month to start putting out your offers. Last month cash-flow is notoriously poor for most business, and they see offers and specials as great way to boost income. Don't undersell your product or you will build a false expectation from your customers and then perceived too expensive when your prices return. Instead of discounts and money off, try teaming your treatments and making bundles which are irresistible, and keep your competition at bay.  Offer giveaways on your social media platforms or directly to your clients when they visit. 

3. Look at stock, visiting the trade shows means you can look at different products to offer your clients, change some services on your menu, maybe include some 'limited edition' treatments which are around for a short while. This means your clients will keep looking at your menu card and maybe try something different. Rotate your stock, change your displays and buy in some new items . I visit a local salon once every two weeks, and the same items are on the shelves each time. I just stop looking. every so often there has been a change, and I am instantly thinking' what can I buy'. 

4. Nail art and deign, if you don't already offer design in the salon, this is the time to bring it in, trends are giving us the nail professional an idea opportunity to cash in on whats hot and whats fashionable right now. Use this to your advantage. you should have a display board rocking maybe 3-5 different 'looks' nothing overly complicated, and there should be ten examples of this look in different colour ways. this board is seasonal, and show cases what can be done. there are many more designs your clients can pick and choose from, but this board is your 'teaser'  Right now your looking for on trend spring time looks for nails .....ask your good friend 'google' to show you some images. 

5. Read, plan and Be Prepared......you are about to hit your busy period and summer is coming and you will be busy painting toe nails and preparing people for their annual holiday, use this time to read, prepare and get your self ready. your mental check list should be; The next time you need to change the nail display board on reception will be in June, what designs will you do? How can you market them out to your customers?  Do they need any incentives or offers to try a new treatment? What new treatments can you bring in? Always think 3 months ahead.....and plan! 

I hope you have found this Blog post useful, I would love to hear from you, about this post or any others. Sam x

Colour Matters!

Working with colour doesn't have to stress you out, you don't even have to spend an extra hour to create your master piece, and sometimes the most unexpected combinations are the best.  I am on a mission to show every nail tech that bringing a little colour into their business is not only profitable and enjoyable but also very easy.  I have heard all the excuses, but the main one is "my clients don't want it". 

My reply is  “I can't believe that clients are fully informed about their choices, if nail technicians are not prepared to wear colour and show off their skills”. 

You don't have to use the brightest powders in the box, and adorn your colour pops with crude combinations, but some simple adjustments will not only amaze your clients and build your reputation, but you might ignite a new passion for colour within. Using a basic primary and secondary colour pallet your possibilities are endless. 

It’s not rocket science! 

1.You want to feel confident when you use colour, and blending is a simple and very effective way to sell it.  Use on the free edges as a fun french or a section of the nail.

2.Use a complimentary colour to apply some pattern, don't worry about having to produce near perfect flowers in one appointment, you will just as easily wow your client with simple scrolls, lines and swirls which can be added to the acrylic with polish.  You can cap in clear when it is dry.

3. Embellish your work, everyone loves glitter and gems, when you next visit the shows check out the wide range sitting on the shelves waiting to be bought, and please don't stick with the same old rhinestones there are some amazing studs and shapes, crushed shells and pressed flowers available.

What colours work together?

 I admit, I am an instinctive when it comes to applying colour, I just allow my creativity to flow and let it come from within, but that doesn’t work for everyone I know. Colour theory is actually a simple formulation of combining colours that work well together  ‘in harmony’.  It is a set of principles using a colour wheel to give you a visual reference. 

According to this theory, these combinations use any two colours opposite each other on the colour wheel, any three colours equally spaced around the wheel  to form a triangle, or any four colours to form a rectangle. Any of these colour combinations are called colour schemes and will remain harmonious regardless of the rotation angle.

Colour theory only looks at the relationships of pure colours; it does not take colour lightness and saturation into account. While the shades may vary in your chosen colour scheme, you can use any tints, shades, and tones of the colour you have, colour theory pays attention only to the hue component.

My advice is if your going for 3 colours, keep the shades the same, all bright, all pastel for example, to make the nail less busy. 

So we have cover the science bit, lets get busy and start using this theory to our advantage. 

We know from school that our Primary colours are; Blue, Yellow and red, from these three colour we are told we can mix any other colour, called secondary colours, from there we can mix tertiary colours. 

for example -

yellow and blue primary = green secondary

yellow and green = lime green tertiary

The exact shade or hue of the secondary colour will depend on which red, blue or yellow you have mixed, and what quantities you have used. giving you in essence very extensive palette.

But What About Black and White?

Black and white are not classed as a primary, although like red, blue and yellow  can not be made by mixing together other colours.  But Black and white aren't used to create any colour and therefore excluded from the colour mixing theory. They they only lighten and darken your colour palette. If you add white to a colour you lighten it and if you add black you darken it. 

Creating Harmony 'does your nail sing' ?

The colour theory is taught at school, and something which as a'creative' is ingrained in us, but how do we pick the colours we need to make a harmonious nail design. 

First lets look at what that means, what is a harmonious design? It is a nail design which is  balanced and pleasing to the eye, I always say ‘does the nail sing’? Does your nail designs engage the viewer and create an inner sense of order and balance. 

When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. Is your design so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. or are your nails so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organise, what it can not understand. Although staying in the realms of creativity humans still require a logical structure to anything we see.

Choosing a Colour scheme!

so here comes the over riding question....'what colours go with what'?

Check out this colour wheel and choose a colour. 

The two colours on either side of this colour will reinforce your colour and give you more scope, creating 'haromony'. 

The colour directly opposite your chosen colour will compliment it. These opposing colours create maximum contrast and maximum stability to your design.

Contrasting colours which work together, choose your colour and take three steps to right or left, this colour will contrast beautifully. 

 

Above is some examples of using the colour theory, creating a triangle of complimentary and contrasting colours. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog, I would love to hear from you, either about this blog or ideas on other things you would like me to write about. let me know. Samx 

Competition made easy - my top tips

There are two distinct ways to approaching competing, the holistic thoughtful approach and then the down right practical.  

Winners are those who have a nice balance of both. 

Sometimes our approach to the competing  is not in line with our perceived outcome.    The saying “it's not the winning but the taking part that counts” are words  we have all heard and perhaps said it to others our self's, but if we are honest do we really think it applies to us?   

Getting the approach to competing right in our heads, will ultimately mean when it comes down to the practical side of competing we are one step closer.  Take a moment to realise why you are entering the competition, what are your goals.  Do you want the recognition? Do you want to improve your skills? Is it the feedback from the judges your interested in? or perhaps you want to market your competing to improve your business.  Finding out your drive to enter a competition will help you focus in the competition. Each of the points I have mentioned is a valid benefit to competing and means regardless of a 1st 2nd or 3rd place you are still a winner.  

If your entering a nail competition you should have already grasps the basics, you should know what is expected and what you can produce in the way of winning nails.  However there are some extra little things which might work towards giving you the edge over the competition.

Before you start this journey you must be realistic.  It might seem harsh for me to say this,  but judge your own nails and be honest.  it is no good ‘hoping’ that the judges don't notice that your nails aren't perfect or that the judges will miss that your smile lines aren't crisp for example. These same judges have been in your shoes, and have done their fair share of hoping, good judges will be the toughest to ‘blindside’.  

So lets get down to some practical advice, 

RULES AND REGS

The first and very important thing to do is to read and understand the rules.....they are written to help and guide you.  International competitions like the Olympics are run very differently from national competitions, worldwide nail techs are coming together to compete with their varied experiences, and its up to the head judge to develop a good criteria to follow which suits multiple nations.  Language and translation of specific terms might become confusing.  I think it is always worth finding out more information if your worried at all. 

SCORE SHEETS

If you have entered a competition before you are normally given a score sheet, this sheet is invaluable, look at the criteria the judges are scoring your nails against, finds out how many marks you can achieve with each criteria, for example if you get just 5 points for a polish but 25 points for floor judging...then make sure whilst your working you are aware of this and keep your working space tidy! the other thing to remember is these score sheets are a route map to improving your nails, as they will tell you where your skills need work.

MODELS

Another good point to consider when entering is your model,  regardless if it is for pink and white or fantasy make sure she fits the bill, her nails are good and she is willing to be there and support you! Sometimes within international competitions it is hard to find models, but with the help of Face book and the right nail community you can pretty much ask a fellow tech to find you one suitable when you arrive.  I would advice paying them for their trouble, it always helps.

DESIGN & FANTASY

There is a wealth of tips and steps to help compete with pink and white but it is design nails and fantasy which are my passion and speciality.  If there is a theme try and think out side the box but ultimately keep it simple.  Over complicating the design will turn off the judges, but having a simple design which has detail and creative workmanship's is much better. But don’t mistake ‘keeping it simple’ for ‘less is more’.  Although you don’t want to overload your nail and designs you don’t want large empty spaces either.   Entering a design sculpt competition means your design nails need to include a good structure. Don't forget about you c curves and side walls, remember the nail has to be well formed as well as the design. Also think about your design story over the whole 10 nails, and not just apply a little flower on the ring finger for example. 

GEL

Gel nails are always let down by their shape and c curve. Trying to  get a great model who’s nails have the c curve you need is not always possible.  There are some other little tricks you can do to get the shape you need. Apply a thin clear base which you need to pinch before you apply your white, pinching will give you the c curve you need, do do this I use reversed tweezers or pinching clips, available from www.sambiddle.co.uk.  Then apply your pink gel cleaning up the smile line with a clean brush and then your white gel application should be easy, butting up to the ready made smile line. The nicest and easiest white gel for this is INM bright white.  Generally in the arena it gets cold so Warm up your product in your hands if the gel viscosity to very thick!

To get a crisp Smile line use a separate detail brush or striper brush and for good curing a high wattage lamp at all times. For more definition use a brighter pink along the smile line and I would personally custom blend your pink and white, to suit the models skin tones.

ACRYLIC 

Be prepared and don’t rush, When the competition starts, apply 1-2 nails onto the polished hand to overcome adrenaline rush. Remember you have plenty of time, and the mistakes happen when you rush! Prepare the natural  nails by doing a mini manicure the morning on the competition. Use 2 dappen dishes for liquid, one for the white and one for the pink/clear so it is clean and crisp.  When filing Use a new file for each hand, the grit changes as you go, a great way to get a constant look is to File all 10 nails the same way, for example side walls x10, free edge x 10, cuticle x 10.

Wipe the nails with acetone to remove and dissolve any residue dust before you buff.  If you do have any pits or air bubbles apply some brush on resin and once dry buff the surface, they will become invisible. For great polish application, clean up polish brush with acetone before you start, and re-dip into the polish.  

TIP APPLICATION

Pre crimp your tips to create beautiful c curve by using with Hot/cold water method, securing the tip around c curve tips.  When your applying a Tip  to the natural nail apply resign to tips and shake downwards to remove excess before application, the last thing you want is resin on the underside of the free edge. 

FINAL WORD

Entering is an enormous step for most nail technicians, stepping into an unknown arena can be daunting and scaring,  but just stop a moment and take a look around you at the seasoned competitors.  Watch their body language, they are relaxed and take things as they come, this is what it will be like for you too in time,  competing will benefit you as a nail professional, and it will become an enjoyable experience.  Enjoy every moment and learn from it. 

Getting the best from your nail art pen

Have you bought a nail art pen and still not sure how to use it. My advise to you to get yourself onto a "think outside the box" class and you will be amazed at how simple it is. But if that is not possible then these answers to common questions I get asked might just do the trick. The one important thing to remember is not to over complicate the whole process,  It is a simple and effective tool, and will always work...

My nib is broken...

1. The nib comes in 2 pieces, it is designed to be easily cleaned. 
2. To fit your nib together correctly watch this film. Nail art pen instructional film
3. There is meant to be a split down the centre of the large nib, this allows the paint to flow onto the nail. 
4. There is meant to be a hole in the nib, make sure the smaller nib does not cover this hole. 

My paint will wont flow....

1. Make sure the nib is fitted correctly. watch this film. Nail art pen instructional film
2. The smaller part of the nib should not cover the hole
3. The paint your using needs to be as thin as single cream.
4. If you have bought the be creative paint, and it is too think, add some water until the pot is full. 
5. You are not using enough pressure, this is a pen not a brush, hold the pen at a 45 degree angle...much like a writing pen, and to achieve more pressure squeeze your fingers.
6. Practise on paper first to achieve your flow. 
7. Scratch back and forwards to generate movement for the paint to flow. 
8. Your paint has dried onto the nib and creates friction, preventing the flow. 

Can I buy a new nib?

Yes you can, you can get the new nibs at www.sambiddle.co.uk. 

How do I clean the pen?

Simple wash the nib and pen in water, swirl it around and remove. 

TOP TIP, when your finished using the pen, dip the nib in washing up liquid or dish soap. leave to one side to dry. do not rinse. the next time you use it this will act as a lubricant for your paint. 

‘What to say when you talk to yourself’

Empowering the tech out of the salon and into the competition arena

There is a book written by Shad Helmstetter, PhD with this very same title, it is a self help book which talks about how to move forward and be successful in anything you do, and knowing what to say when you talk to your self. 

You might have ambition and drive, but as ‘Creative’ people we are very quick to grab that base ball bat and beat your selves up time and time again, when things aren’t perfect or we haven't achieved our expectations.  

It is when we take that first step into the competition arena, that we become aware of what are those inner voices telling you? 

‘Sam what are you doing, your going to fail at this and make a fool of your self, stop right now’‘Sam are you mad, all this stress and work for what’?‘Keep it real Sam, there is no way you can compete with those guys their work is awesome, and yours is well....’ 

Believe me when I tell you I have had that voice in my head, but that is not my voice.  That is the voice of fear.  If you can image fear as a separate entity, a big green blob of quivering anxiety, willing you to prove it is right.  Could you look ‘down’ at this blob, staring it straight in the eyes and say

‘I don’t care what you have to say, I am going to do this regardless, and either way what ever the outcome it will be right for me at this time’. 

Can you feel your spine getting straighter, and all those concerns and nerves and everything else that comes with insecurity and fear seems unimportant. 

Competitions are no different than starting your first day at work or school.  The first time you are trapped in that dark room with fear whispering in your ear, but once you have found the window and drawn back the curtains you realize it is just a room, with a view to your future. 

Never listen to fear tell you, you are not good enough or not brave enough, talk to your self instead, and grab every opportunity to challenge it.

Article written for Scratch magazine May edition - feature YOU WIN AGAIN.