Nicole Bianchi

Writing, Copywriting, & Marketing Strategies

Are You the Greatest Enemy of Your Creative Success?

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Book Illustration Depicting Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a Train Cabin
Arthur Conan Doyle disliked writing detective stories so much that he killed off Sherlock Holmes. | Illustration by Sidney Paget

Have you ever started writing a story or a blog post and felt like it wasn’t turning out the way you had envisioned it in your head?

The words aren’t flowing quite the way you would like. Yet, you spent so much time working on it, that you decide to hit publish.

And your audience loves it.

In fact, they love it even more than anything else you have written. They demand more of the same.

What are you to do? Is your writing really as bad as you think?

Something similar happened to Arthur Conan Doyle. [Read more…]

5 Steps to Creating an Inspiring Writing Workspace: A Peek into the Studies of Famous Writers

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5 Steps to Creating an Inspiring Writing Workspace: A Peek into the Studies of Famous Writers
William Faulkner’s Writing Desk | Photo by Gary Bridgman, southsideartgallery.com

Does your writing workspace inspire you?

Is it a tranquil and comfortable place where you can shut out all distractions? A private laboratory to experiment with new ideas and plan out new projects?

The other day I was looking through the photos of the workplaces of a number of famous authors. They were all unique: some were large and sprawling while others were cramped and disorderly.

But all of them shared five important characteristics that seemed essential when creating an inspiring workspace. Read on to discover these five important traits and how you too can create your own writing laboratory.

[Read more…]

How to Have an Unforgettable Night at the Metropolitan Opera

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Photo Credit: Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera
Photo Credit: Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera

Two exciting things happened in New York this past Wednesday: the Mets won the National League pennant, and I saw my first performance at the Metropolitan Opera. Yes, that’s right. I missed seeing the Mets claim their first World Series spot in fifteen years, but it was worth it. Puccini’s Tosca was absolutely breathtaking. [Read more…]

5 Steps to Escaping the Trap of Perfectionism

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still-life-851328_1280
(Photo from Pixabay)

Recently, I have started listening to podcasts rather than music while working out. I have found this to be a wonderful way to take full advantage of those thirty minutes and learn something new. Though I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes so far, I have been greatly enjoying Michael Hyatt’s weekly podcast This is Your Life. It may all be down to his excellent episode on perfectionism that has completely transformed the way I have been approaching various projects. [Read more…]

John Singer Sargent’s Friends at the Met

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MET_-_The_Great_Hall_-_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art,_New_York,_NY,_USA_-_2012
(Photo by wiki)

Several weeks ago my friend Rebecca and I were caught in a rainstorm while strolling through Central Park. Naturally, we made a mad dash for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We had no umbrellas and so arrived soaking wet, but we were not the least bit disappointed by this unexpected turn our day had taken. No matter how many times I visit the museum, those wide echoing halls and long corridors always hold something new to see.

On this particular afternoon, Rebecca and I headed to a special exhibit on the American painter John Singer Sargent (1856–1925). He is known as the leading portrait painter of his generation, producing some 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors in his lifetime. The exhibit in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London displayed just 90 of them: gallery after gallery of some of the wealthiest and most brilliant minds of the Edwardian era. [Read more…]