C.A. Kobu is on a quest to help creative people streamline and execute their ideas. Also known as 'creative alchemist' she runs a website called "Life Literacy Labs" where she writes inspiring articles about creative process, personality, well-being, personal, professional and social relationships; it's a creative lab for creatives, artists, writers and entrepreneurs.

We wanted gain as much information as possible from the alchemist herself, and she has been very kind to spare some time for an inspiring interview for us and our readers. 

My full name is C. A. Kobu. I’m a writer and creativity coach. And I'm the founder of Life Literacy Labs. Mainly, I help creatives (authors, artists, craft artists, entrepreneurs) understand their creativity patterns, map their creative work, stick to their priorities, overcome creative blocks, reduce their stress levels, and make their lives more meaningful and enjoyable.

I studied public relations and advertising followed by film studies with an emphasis on scriptwriting, directing and fictional character development. I'm also an experienced literary translator. I've translated more than 30 books - almost half of them into English. But English isn't my mother tongue.

Well, many people inspire me. To name a few, Pema Chödrön, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Eric Maisel, Seth Godin, Steven Pressfield, Susan Piver, and Ursula K. Le Guin. The Buddha and Rumi are also two souls I turn to when I need inspiration. I guess people who are creative not only with their work but also the with the way they ameliorate and transform the world inspire me the most. Of the world of blogging, Leo Babauta, Marianne Elliott, Mark Silver, Danielle LaPorte, Tammy Strobel, Charlie Gilkey, Scott Stratten, Victoria Brouhard, Maryann Devine, Dyana Valentine, Elizabeth Potts Weinstein, Farnoosh Brock, Corbett Barr, Karol Gajda, Dian Reid, and Raam Dev inspire me. 

I work from home. Motivation and focus are the biggest dragons you have to make friends with if you're a writer and entrepreneur who works from home. Creatives and entrepreneurs can't stop creating new ideas and projects. But this turns into a disadvantage if you start preventing yourself from completing priority work. And you need to do that so that you can make a decent living. So I try to find a balance between work that has to be done against a deadline and the musings of my crazy mind. 

Lately I'm working on an simple but effective system that involves working with an accountability buddy on shared, uncomplicated charts. My sister and I are testing it out. It's our 4th week, and we seem to get fantastic results!

It's a creative alchemy lab where creative people find support, solace, inspiration, guidance, and comradeship, which, when combined, push them forward in such a way that they just have to go and create as if they're on fire.

Life Literacy Labs stems from my own struggle with my tribulations, issues and needs as a creator. The more I worked on them, the more I realized that people who do creative work have to deal with a specific set of problems. You can read the related diagnostic questions on my site. Then I also realized that I was good at helping other creatives in my close circles - writers, artists, entrepreneurs - solve or at least ease their problems and establish a richer creative process that involves less stress and more joy. 

Of course this whole realization and preparation process took a while. It took me years to come to where I am now. I feel happy and complete when I can love, learn, grow and create, and also, when I can connect with other creative people who love positive challenge/change and want more out of their lives in terms of tangible and intangible riches. That's why I'm so passionate about Life Literacy Labs and its future. And I'm just beginning.

The e-book I'm currently working on is a easily applicable combination of tips and methods to use when you get stuck at some part of your creative process. In addition, it's going include interviews with quite a few remarkably creative people. I'm planning to launch a free and a premium version of the book.

A Site of One’s Own is the place where I’ll be giving actionable ideas to authors who want a powerful online hub but who don’t know where to start from. It's more for beginners and for those who feel totally confused. I’ve helped many author friends piece together and vitalize their websites. I believe I can easily translate what I’ve learned so far in a language that appeals to authors and artists. You see, I hate hype. And authors hate it even more than I do. 

When you look around, you come across many wonderful sites that give very useful information about building online hubs, social media and online marketing, but still, I know that many authors are looking for something else. They need that information, but they'll take and digest it only if it's presented in a different tone and with a different method. 

I’m still in the process of developing the site, which will have lots of articles, step-by-step tutorials and later an online course. And I'm doing it openly in a way people can see how the site materializes bit by bit. Plus, I'm not in a hurry because it has to fully please me first before anyone else. 

Thank you. I'm glad they struck a chord with you. I love writing about creativity and art, change and transformation, entrepreneurship and work, happiness and spirituality, life systems and productivity, and personal growth and life skills. These are also the main categories of the articles published on my blog.

My biggest passion is learning. Whenever I'm learning something new, I feel energized and uplifted. Also, I'm happier when I have variety. That's why I always work on multiple projects. However, my daily and weekly plans are based on singletasking in chunks. 

Another passion I have is teaching someone something that I know well. I love when someone is shining with joy after grasping something which she thought she could never manage. I also love reading. Fiction and non-fiction. I'm crazy about fabric art. 

Plus, I'm passionate about spending time with my family. Having our small family dinner at the table without any distractions (we have no TV!) and chatting to our heart's content recharges me every single day.

I've been involved in entrepreneurship for quite a long time. And today, e-commerce facilitates entrepreneurship. It's much easier to bypass the gatekeepers. It's possible to build small but sustainable online businesses (sometimes more than one) as a single person. You can sell your work, your art, or whatever it is that you create and want to exchange on your own. 

I think entrepreneurship and commerce are two issues that challenge creatives. At the back of our heads, we always have the fear of selling out. I think e-commerce makes it easier to share, promote and offer our work without having to be 'salesy'. You know what I mean.

I believe social networking can be a great promotional tool only if you use it without the aim of promoting yourself. It sounds contradictory, but it isn't. You have to treat people the way you treat them offline. You have to show interest. You have to interact. You have to help. You have to be sincere, courteous and respectful. But if you do all those things with the idea of self-promotion at the back of your mind, it won't work. You have to be genuine. Only a nonfocus on promotion can bring along the best promotion. 

I must also add that I don't like Twitter at all, but I've gotten to know wonderful people on Facebook and established amazing friendships there. However, I find Twitter too fast and superficial. I'm sure many people think vice versa. It's a thing of preference.

Many times we have to overcome issues of personality, meaning or relationships that prevent us from materializing our passion. But it's never late to create the conditions to do that. So I'd like to say, don't look away from what hurts or disturbs you. Analyze it, understand it and change it. 

Like Rumi says, the wound is where the light enters you. Locate the 'wound' in your life and heal it by understanding and transforming yourself. And be like Alice: follow your white rabbit and go find your Mad Hatter!

Thanks C.A. for a wonderfully insightful interview and for helping creative people share their work with the world. :)

Visit Life Literacy Labs to learn much more from the creative alchemist.