get on the waiting list for the 2025 incubator:
the following page is archived, though it’s still possible to purchase the DIY course recording at the link below:
SUSTAINABLE CAREER INCUBATOR
March 4 - April 29, 2022 *
Decide what’s next for your career. Get the support you need. Join the 2022 Incubator:
Weekly Course Calls: Learn to map your creative career to move towards radical sustainability.
Small Group Tracks: Design your career alongside a cohort of others in your discipline.
Ongoing Community: Integrate what you’ve learned with 6 months of access to our online community and Resource Library.
* While sign up for the Deep Work and Standard Course options has passed, DIY plans offer asynchronous participation, access to past materials, and a community forum to catch up and share thoughts.
You can access the DIY option via a onetime payment or subscription. Read more below!
If you find yourself asking these questions, the Sustainable Career Incubator may be for you:
I love my creative project but am feeling drained.
I have multiple creative outlets and I’m trying to create balance between them.
I want a systematic approach to analyzing the sustainability of my current business.
I know my music is good, but I’m not getting appreciated for it (financially or otherwise).
I’m pursuing a career in music but feeling stuck.
I want a systematic approach to making decisions about my career.
The best time to plant a tree.
I can’t wave a magic wand for you.
This isn’t a ‘get rich quick’ scheme — if anything it’s more of a ‘get sustainable slow’ scheme.
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the next best time is today. I’ve created a course that gives you the tools that I wish I’d had 20 years ago when I was starting out as a musician.
Course Itinerary
Week 1: Intro to Creative Mapping Why do I take a design approach? It costs less (time, money, and/or effort) to design something on paper before you build it.
It can make or break your burnout level, stress level, enjoyment level, fulfillment level, if you have systems that can help you design before you actually dive into something.
In week one, we’ll get to know each other and I’ll introduce you to the process I use to make important decisions regarding designing and redesigning my career and life.
Week 2-3: Your Needs + Values Map This is a physical map, unique to each human, that acts as a reference point in navigating towards the most fulfilling projects.
At this point, I won’t work with anyone until they’ve created a Values Constellation Map.
Everybody wants to make a plan of action. This is important, but I’ve learned the hard way that it’s vital to take a step back and start with the big picture before we jump into executing a plan that isn’t aligned with our deepest needs.
If you know what you want at the deepest level, it’s easier to navigate towards it.
Week 4: Integration Week While most group calls will include members from all tracks across many disciplines, this is a chance to meet with the other members of the creative track to apply what we’ve learned so far to our specific careers.
We’ll have space to share, go deeper, or catch up if you need.
Week 5: Your Life Inventory Once we’ve gotten clear on what you want, we’ll take stock of what you’re working with. Money isn’t the only valuable thing you have access to.
We’ll dive into the Eight Forms of Capital, make a list of what you have and what you need.
Week 6: Project Mapping Every job, project, relationship—everything you say ‘yes’ to, is a trade. Most people aren’t aware of what they’re trading.
I’ll show you a way to draw a sustainability analysis of each project in your life. This really helps folks pinpoint exactly why their job (or project, collaboration, etc.) is or isn’t working.
Week 7: Moving Forward Make an action plan that uses what you have to take steps in the right direction.
Now that you’ve defined success (you have a literal piece of paper that maps the patterns behind what you find fulfilling) and a clear list of your financial and non financial resources, it’s time to put it all together into a navigation system that will help you move forward.
Week 8: Integration Week Wrap up with deliberate time to revisit important conversations, crosspollinate with your cohort members, share examples, and decide what’s next. While most calls include all course members, integration calls will be a chance to meet with the other members of the Creative Career Design Track.
After the 8 weeks: An extra 1 month of access to Chris, the community app, and the course materials so that you have plenty of time to digest, review, integrate, and catch up on anything you may have missed. Want more than a month? You’ll have the option to continue your subscription for as long as you’d like!
You will also have ongoing access to the community forum in our Mighty Networks app.
Ready to take the plunge?
The DIY PACKAGE
Even though the live 2022 incubator is over, you can still purchase access to the course recordings here.
$150 includes:
access to recordings from the 8-week Creative Career Design course
and 3 months of 24/7 access to the Creative Mapping Circle including past workshops, practice sessions, and our active social network (with the option to continue monthly afterwards)
you have the option to continue your subscription after the 3 month period!
Frequently Asked Questions
+ Do I miss out if I join late?
When I created this course, I created multiple tiers of access friendly to however you budget your time and money. The DIY one is not only the most affordable but the most flexible one. Since this option doesn't rely on live calls (although, I'm happy to hop on a call with you if you have questions!) you can access all the materials at whatever pace works for you. There's no wrong way to endeavor this course and your way is probably the best way. In short, if you're seeing this in April and are wondering whether it's still worth it -- take it from the other DIY-ers: it is!
You'll also have ongoing access to the community forum, via Mighty Networks.
Also, feel free to email me at chris(at)creativemappingproject.com to ask questions or schedule a brief call.
+ Is this only for artists or super creative people?
The simple answer is no!
Creative Mapping started as a way to help talented, independent musicians strategize towards more appreciation (financial and otherwise) for their work without constantly feeling burnt out and frustrated.
Non-musician artists started asking me if I could help them too. We tried it out, and they had positive results!
Over the years, these tools have helped bands, artists, and entrepreneurs — but I've also worked with everyone from stay-at-home-parents to teams running non-profit organizations.
The thing everyone has in common is that they are looking for more sustainable systems to help them reach balance as they try to spend their time on this planet in ways that feel more fulfilling and less frustrating.
+ What is Mighty Networks?
Mighty Networks is a community app designed to be a healthy alternative to mainstream social media. We use it as a home for the Creative Mapping Circle.
We'll be using our app as the headquarters for the Sustainabile Career Incubator.
Like other social media apps, you can access it via desktop, phone, or tablet, and it features member profiles, events, direct messaging, community forums, an activity feed, streaming video (call recordings), direct messaging, and more.
Unlinke other social media apps, there are no ads, and it's deisgned to help you find what you need and then go on with your life instead of keeping you on endlessly for no good reason.
+ What will I actually get out of this course? Can you guarantee I'll be making more money?
You'll come out with new perspectives and paradigms, as well as concrete tools that measurably help you make better plans, and begin executing them.
Creative Career Design is for people who are looking to bring balance, clarity, and sustainability to their lives.
This can look very different for different people. This is why instead of starting with business strategies or action plans (even though I love nerding out about all that), we start with deep self-reflection. This takes the form of a literal map (your Values Constellation Map) which will help you define (or redefine) what you even want out of your career and life.
Many people come out with a clarity they've never had before about what they want, as well as concrete tools to continue exploring this and learning more.
While I certainly can't guarantee any kind of financial outcome for you, I'll teach you ways of easily analyzing every project (or potential project) to determine whether you'll get out more than you're putting in. Beyond finances, you'll learn to use the Eight Forms of Capital to build systems that give you more of what you need more efficiently.
For me personally this has definitely resulted in more money because I've had clarity about saying 'no' to gigs that didn't pay me what I needed, and redesigned my projects to have a higher yield.
People also often come away from my courses with new friends, collaborators, and coconspirators.
+ I've got a few questions still. Can I contact you?
Absolutely! Free to email me at chris(at)creativemappingproject.com to ask questions or schedule a brief call.