We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leslie Becker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I love naming things! And as a writer I like creating new words when I can’t find one that properly says what I want it to.

My company is called Unstoppably Creative. To me the word “unstoppably” means that “no person, event, or comment can stop you from using your creative gifts.” No matter what’s going on in the world, you always have the choice to use your creativity to survive no matter what is thrown your way. So my business name/brand is really more like my philosophy. The name also allows me the freedom to do anything with my business. Since I am a multi-creative, the name can go with just about anything I do so everything lives underneath that brand.

My shop however, has a different name–Delightfully Unexpected: Furniture As Unique As You. This is for my furniture flipping business because opening a shop was totally unexpected and each of my pieces have something “delightfully unexpected somewhere on the piece. When you come to the shop, try to find the delightfully unexpected thing. You can visit the shop in Painted Tree in Franklin, TN

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve always had a unique blend of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. It started in fourth grade when I somehow convinced the boy I sat next to to give me a dollar every time he said the “f” word. I made $12 that week and I realized the power of making up an idea someone would pay you for.

But in all seriousness, at the heart of everything I do is my personal mission which is to empower, entertain, and educate others and be a source of strength and bravery for the human spirit. So all the things I choose to create or write or talk about lives inside of that mission.

As a coach I help people take action on their dreams. Sometimes a person just needs another person in their life who believes in them and I am a true believer in what human beings can do.

As a writer in many genres (books, music, musicals, copywriting) I always approach it as a reflected on the human condition. Being a human is hard, and if somehow I can write something that moves someone or touches their in a profound way, then I am happy.

And finally, when it comes to furniture flipping–it’s just truly joyful to take something and reinvent it. I guess that’s what I’ve done in my own life–reinvented myself and taught others to do the same.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel like “pivot” should be my middle name. I have so many interests that I’ve had to learn how to use that to my advantage without getting spread too thin. In my life, I have actually found the most success when I’ve juggled three things at the same time and they all seemed to work together. So I’ve made many pivots over the years that were more like add-ons.

But when it comes to large life/career pivots, I’ve made three major successful career pivots in my life so, as a coach, that’s my specialty–helping people make life or career pivots and coaching them to do it with success and grace.

The first big pivot was in 1994 when I went all-in on my acting career. Once I declared I wanted to be an actor for a living instead of just a hobby, I took massive action and in three months I booked my first Broadway show and moved to NYC and then had a 25 year career there.

A more recent one happened about five years ago and led me to Nashville TN!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

The idea that some people are creative and some are not is a misnomer. We’re all born with creative gifts but only a rare few are actually willing to go after their creativity as a career because they don’t want the life of a creative.

A creative life is not for everyone. Choosing to be an artist of any kind is hard and scary and brave and daring and exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. What non-creatives don’t understand is that when you have true creative gifts, you can’t NOT do it. You can’t. It’s a passion and without it you’d shrivel and die–literally and figuratively.

Almost every non-creative you meet can remember a time in there lives when they painted or danced or played music or loved building forts or making up stories. They didn’t stop having those creative talents, they just stopped using them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lesliebecker.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelesliebecker
• Other: https://unstoppablycreative.com

Image Credits

Justin Patterson