This is just a summary of the conversation rather than a transcript. If you were there, feel free to amend, correct or add to in the comments.

Helping people, helps you.

People talked about having support networks, including formal groups or just critical friends.
- They enable us to check in with someone
- to have supportive accountability which brings success and focus
- someone described their network as a group of samurai warrior friends.
- this is about having somewhere to voice your pipe dream.
- having someone to challenge you and ask questions

above all it is about having people around who are supportive rather than competitive.
It provides space.

We need a raising of consciousness around success
We talked about wanting to share our success and feeling uncomfortable letting others know when we get arts council funding. We decided it was better to celebrate every success, including our own.
- be honest with yourself about what bugs you (especially about seeing other people succeed, it might be a key to what is missing in your life.
- only compare yourself with yourself.
- take people with you when you are lifted by success
- people will give back if they are given to
- accept the joy as a part of your life; it will pass.

Someone has a friend whose new year resolution was to acquire 50 rejections. She has so far collected 15, but has also gained successes she would never have attempted before.
- she has accepted the pain of rejection and it has broadened her options
- accept the pain as a part of your life; it will pass.

Know what your version of success looks like
Reflect on the things that when they happen make you feel like life is going well.
Lift yourself and other up: practice joy.

Someone talked about running workshops on interview techniques for young people. We reframed the "fake it til you make it" mantra to an invitation to embody confidence before you can generate it yourself. It's an invitation to a state of being.

A bumble bee brought wisdom from yesterday's talk about confidence and belief: Confidence comes and goes but your belief in yourself can be nurtured. Confidence can the grow.

Have you ever met someone who is psychologically well? Someone who doesn't doubt themself and who can make you feel good about yourself? How did they get that way? Was it luck (good childhood, experiences of success) or have they just unlearned some of the cultural nonsense we all suffer with?

Ignore "shoulds"

Someone suggested we should not work on the "expensive" paper, because it will lead us to think that we need to make something perfect.

Game theory - do something nice for someone and they are likely to pay it forward 3 times. Do something not nice (close a door in their face) and they will shut two doors behind them.

Someone talked about changing scale and reframing their view of success to find encouragement in the moment. Less end product focus.

When faced with someone who doesn't understand or respect your choice to make art remember they don't know what we know: that there are no prizes for suffering to be conventional.

Recognise when you are happy - say it out loud.

Here is a list of podcasts, talks and MOOCs that we love at the moment.

Liz Gilbert - Big Magic podcast and her TED talk about genius
The How to Fail podcast
Tomorr has a podcast called The Creatives' Corner

Penn State university has a design MOOC which is great for changing the way you think about planning
Berkeley school of art has a music theory course that is helpful if you are musical but not a musician.

There are also opportunities to learn communally:
Look for the Authentic Artist Collective - Cath Burlingson: She runs a workshop for people who want to play with practice.

Remember there is a difference between pain (a physical fact) and suffering (the emotional story interpretation of pain)

No director wants a perfect script or character. They want to work together with a great team to make something brilliant and collaborative.

Become comfortable with "Your" way of doing things.

People are looking for the essence of you, not perfection (read John Ruskin about Gothic architecture.

Work on seeds of ideas even if they are not complete.

Know your voice.

Learn to give back

My journey from "what should I say?" to "How can I connect?"

Someone likes shopping for others, especially books.

Someone is learning a lot from being a mentor - supporting others is a great way of thinking about your own practice - remember the origin of the word Mentor is in Greek myth - the Odyssey when Mentor met with Telemachus: elder wisdom meeting youthful ideas: something else appears, something divine in the form of the goddess of wisdom Athena.

An exercise: bring two fingers close to your eyes. slowly move them away and see how your perspective changes. Anxiety sometimes comes from being too close to something. Zoom out.

What's good for you now? I don't know!

Check the voices in your head and challenge them.

It's about your whole life, not just your work. Are your relationships good? Are you gestating new ideas you are excited about? Is work good for you?

Someone has a show on! Let's celebrate them.

If you see something you could do that you've never done, say "I could do that" it's not arrogant.

There really is enough for everyone.

We are really hard on ourselves when we are working on arts projects.

Another good podcast is Women and the art of how to own the room.

Connect with me! I'm Aleasha and I'm found at oneseptemberart.co.uk I think you are all fab and I want you to succeed.