Follow Your Curiosity: Recent Episodes
Follow Your Curiosity
Have you ever tried to force yourself into a new habit through sheer willpower, only to end up exhausted and paralyzed a week later? In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I'm exploring the High Expectations Trap. We talk about the deep-seated cultural belief that change only happens through hard work and discipline—and how that belief actually triggers our internal surveillance system to shut us down. From the "Puritanical Trap" of the American work ethic to the reason we need to stop treating our lives like a performance review, we look at how to rebuild trust through permission and play. It’s an invitation to stop overthinking your way to a "better version" of yourself and start returning to the creative capacity you were born with.I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through curiosity and play.In this episode, we discuss:* The Discipline Fallacy: Why high pressure is actually the enemy of the pursuit of excellence. * Internal Surveillance: Why your inner critic needs a vacation to a local summer camp ropes course. * Restorative CreativityTM: How to trade "Transformation Theater" for a genuine return to yourself. * The Luke Skywalker Principle: Why the biggest changes always start with tiny, quiet experiments.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." We send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way. Join the Creativity Circle.
When was the last time you actually met you? Not the role you perform for your family, your job, or your community, but the version of you that exists when no one else is watching? In this week's conversation, I'm talking with playwright and actress Anne Odeke. We talk about why the rigid discipline of adulthood often acts like a clamshell that keeps our real selves hidden and how to find the medicine that helps us open back up. From the accidental path to teaching in flip-flops to her history-making play, Princess Essex, at Shakespeare's Globe, Anne shares why being seen—truly seen—is a fundamental human need. It’s an invitation to stop overthinking your way to a creative solution and start finding the creative oxygen that lets you breathe again. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through curiosity and play. In this episode, we discuss:* The Clamshell Effect: Why we walk around closed off and how to stay open to your own creative aliveness. * Jumping into the Fire: Why the sense of discovery is more important than the end result. * Princess Essex: The true story of a woman who pretended to be a princess just to be seen for a day. * Creative Oxygen: Why finding what makes you feel human is a necessity, not a luxury.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." We send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way. Join the Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 0:00 Introduction0:38 From Teaching to Shakespeare’s Globe 1:52 Storytelling as a Family Nature 6:35 The Drama Teacher Who Led with Care 11:52 Stumbling into a Teaching Career 15:33 The "Yes, And" of Life: Jumping into the Fire 23:59 The Nudge that Led to Drama School 27:18 Mountview Training as Medicine for the Soul 30:17 The Clamshell: Staying Open to Everything 41:05 First Day at Shakespeare’s Globe 46:38 The Origin of Princess Essex 51:29 An Accidental Conversation at the Globe 58:42 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome 1:10:54 Find Your Oxygen: Reclaiming Creativity Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and theatre.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Have you ever had a brilliant "Aha!" moment about your own behavior, only to find yourself repeating the same pattern just a few days later? In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I'm looking at the Insight Trap. We talk about why understanding your patterns isn't enough to actually change them—and why your brain is often "too well-trained" to stop self-monitoring just because you noticed it. From the neural grooves that keep us stuck in performative adulthood to the fear of flying without a net during play, we explore how to rebuild trust through messy, low-stakes repetition.It’s an invitation to stop overthinking your way to a solution and start returning to the creative spontaneity you were born with. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through curiosity and play. In this episode, we discuss:* The Insight Trap: Why patterns don't disappear just because we finally see them. * Automatic Self-Monitoring: Why years of scanning for approval become a default "groove" in your brain. * The Netless Flight: Why open-ended play feels terrifying to adults used to performing specific roles. * Repetition vs. Analysis: Why small repetitions matter more than joining another chapter of Overthinkers Anonymous.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." We send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way. Join the Creativity Circle.
This episode discusses sensitive subjects, including psychiatric abuse, false memories, psychiatric over-medication, and mental health struggles involving self-harm. What happens when a culture’s collective fear is weaponized against the very people seeking help? In this week's conversation, I’m talking with my friend and author Jamie Lyn Weaver. Jamie’s new memoir, Locked in the Psych Ward, chronicles her survival during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. She was kept in a locked ward for four years, heavily medicated, and coached into "recovering" memories of horrific events that never occurred. Jamie discusses the audacity it took to finally put her story on paper and how the writing process itself became her path back to aliveness. We explore the role of "retractors" in healing and why her story is a vital warning for the world we live in today. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through curiosity and play. In this episode, we discuss:* The Anatomy of a Panic: How psychiatric "experts" used leading questions and hypnosis to manufacture a crisis. * The Witness Effect: Why having a safe, non-judgmental witness is the most powerful tool for creative and personal recovery. * True vs. Not True: The mental struggle of surviving a ward that functioned like a cult. * Creative Resilience: How Jamie moved from a childhood belief that she wasn't creative to writing a prize-winning memoir.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour and just enjoy some creative company? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." We send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way.Join the Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 0:00 About this episode, and content warning1:05 Introducing Jamie Lyn Weaver: Surviving the Satanic Panic 2:50 The award-winning art Jamie forgot she made 5:53 Inside the Locked Ward: Why Jamie refused art therapy 8:42 The "Braun" Ward: 4 years of false memories and forced meds 12:56 The lack of advocacy and the "insurance game" 15:19 Dungeons & Dragons, Heavy Metal, and the 80s Panic 19:11 From intuitive writing to a completed memoir 24:15 The 100 Moments: Using structure to process the impossible 28:16 Finding the right coach: The power of being witnessed 32:58 "The police will meet you at the bottom of the stairs" 36:52 The "Feeling Wheel" and finding words for trauma 41:50 The "Apothecary" Reality: Surviving over-medication 46:33 Why being a "retractor" is a long road to aliveness 51:43 Jamie’s warning for the modern world Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Have you ever looked at your life and realized that while everything is "okay" on paper, you feel like you're just playing a role? In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I'm diving into the Performance Trap. We talk about why the modern world is obsessed with optimization and metrics—and how that obsession is actually stripping us of our humanity. From the "proceduralization" of our communities to the internalized pressure to be "endlessly capable," we look at how to reclaim our spontaneity. It’s an invitation to stop treating your life like a performance review and start returning to the creative capacity you were born with. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through curiosity and play. In this episode, we discuss:* Dehumanizing Systems: Why HOAs and automated phone lines are designed to block human connection. * The Self-Monitoring Trap: Why "metricking" your sleep and hobbies creates more exhaustion, not less. * Trusting Your Instincts: How to stop letting external algorithms (and internal critics) drive your decisions. * The Power of Play: Why we are starving for spaces where we don't have to be "good enough" to belong.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." We send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way. Join the Creativity Circle.
What happens when you realize the very things meant to connect us are actually stealing your creative spark? This week, we conclude our special 30th-anniversary archive release with actor Paul McGann. Originally recorded in 2020, this conversation remains a vital guide for anyone trying to navigate a creative life without losing their humanity to the digital machine. Paul shares his prolific journey into audio drama with Big Finish, his reflections on the different regenerations of the Doctor, and the fascinating reasons he decided to walk away from social media entirely. From his "favorite" role in Our Mutual Friend to the "theatre of the mind," Paul offers a masterclass in staying true to your own creative fingerprint. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through creativity, curiosity, and play. In this episode, we discuss:* The Digital De-assimilation: Why Paul decided he didn't want to be the "kind of person" social media was making him. * The Power of Audio: Why working in the "theatre of the mind" is qualitatively different and physically freeing. * Richard E. Grant: A look at their rare on-screen reunion and the power of natural enthusiasm. * The Next Story: Why for a professional actor, the most important role is always the one that’s coming next.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? Join the Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 0:00 Part 2: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the TV Movie1:40 Digital recording & the "wooden rabbit hutches" of Big Finish4:15 Working fast: How to record a script in 6 hours10:20 Dropping the extraneous: Learning while doing12:56 Why Paul never watches or listens to his own work17:15 Revisiting old roles like "holiday snaps"19:11 Reunited with Richard E. Grant in Always Crashing in the Same Car28:30 Stepping into Tom Baker’s shoes for Shada36:52 Jodie Whittaker: "She cracked it instantly"40:10 Matt Smith: The "beautiful skinny 12-year-old" alien46:33 The 1996 audition: Why Phil Segal couldn't tell the brothers apart51:00 Eugene Wrayburn: The role that "fitted" perfectly1:09:10 "Are you on Twitter?" (The 2020 Social Media context)1:15:45 The Jaron Lanier lesson: 10 arguments for deleting your accounts1:20:20 How social media makes you a person you don't want to be1:24:45 Richard E. Grant: A master class in natural enthusiasm Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Have you ever told yourself you don’t have a creative bone in your body? This week, we’re looking at why that belief is a trap—and why it’s almost certainly a lie you were taught to believe. In this Report from the Creative Closet, I explore why we’ve narrowed the definition of creativity so far that we’ve lost sight of our own resourcefulness, adaptation, and meaning-making. It’s an invitation to stop treating creativity like a talent show and start seeing it as the life force that helps you feel human again. We discuss why you don’t need a plan or a portfolio to be creative—you just need the courage to be messy. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through curiosity and play. In this episode, we discuss:* The "Creative Bone" Myth: Why your school experiences didn't give you the full picture of your potential. * Broadening the definition: How the way you solve problems and navigate uncertainty is a deeply creative act. * Evaluation vs. Exploration: Why performative art makes us disconnect and how to find your way back. * The Aliveness Factor: Why creativity isn't about "fixing" yourself, but returning to the truth of who you are.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." We send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way. Join the Creativity Circle.
What happens when the "masterpiece" you expected turns out to be just the beginning of a very different journey? In this first part of a special release from the archives, I’m sharing the beginning of my landmark conversation with the legendary Paul McGann. Recorded in May 2020 and originally released in August 2020, this was Paul’s first-ever podcast interview. While he has hosted many shows since then, this remains the definitive look at the moment he first "went down the rabbit hole" to discuss his life and career with a fan. To coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, Paul shares the story of his childhood Olympic dreams, his "acting family" business, and the "indifference" of show business. We talk about why the fans are the true custodians of the TARDIS and why stories are sometimes the only thing that can save our morale and tip the scales toward kindness. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through creativity, curiosity, and play. In this episode, we discuss:* The 2020 Perspective: A snapshot of creative survival recorded in May 2020 during the first months of the pandemic. * The Failed Athlete: Why Paul’s first ambition wasn't the stage, and how he navigated the "brutality" of not making the cut. * The RADA Turning Point: How a "confused kid" who nearly joined the Navy found his way to the Royal Academy. * The Custodians of History: Why the fans, not the actors, are the ones who truly look after the Doctor's legacy.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour and just enjoy some creative company? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." Join the Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 0:00 Introduction1:26 Paul's first-ever podcast interview (Recorded May 2020)3:24 The Liverpool "acting family" business5:20 Childhood Olympic dreams and the "brutality" of sport10:15 Auditioning for RADA and being a "confused kid"13:38 Sharing an agent with three brothers19:46 2020 Lockdown: Sanity, cycling, and simple things23:02 Rehearsing with the brothers for a West End hit33:14 Bruce Robinson's advice: "Just take the next thing"39:05 From convention skeptic to fan family45:46 The 1996 Pilot and the 5-year Vancouver plan54:32 The Power of Stories: Fables, mythologies, and morale58:30 Reclaiming kindness: Lessons from the Doctor1:13:58 Keeping the secret: The "Night of the Doctor" return Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
What if the very thing you think is "childish" is actually the life skill you need most right now? In this "Report from the Creative Closet," I’m looking at the fear of uncertainty that keeps so many adults stuck. We discuss why we’ve become so uncomfortable with open-endedness and why we feel like we need a manual for everything—even for taking a break. I share the "Obsolete Child" philosophy, the reality of the "Imagination Lab," and why reclaiming your sense of play is the fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism. This isn't about making "art"—it's about remembering how to be a person who is willing to try, fail, and stay curious. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through creativity, curiosity, and play. In this episode, I discuss:* The Adulting Bind: Why we can't do things well because we won't try until we're already perfect. * The Instruction Obsession: What a 3-week break taught me about the difference between adults and children. * Adaptability vs. Rules: Why "play" is actually the highest form of problem-solving and resilience. * The Power of Permission: How to give yourself the green light to move outside the boxes you've built.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." We send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way. Join the Creativity Circle.
What do you do when the world tells you "no" for seven years straight? This week, I’m talking with legendary TV and film producer Phil Segal. With a 38-year career that includes everything from Twin Peaks and SeaQuest DSV to Deadliest Catch, Phil is perhaps best known to sci-fi fans as the man who fought for nearly a decade to bring Doctor Who back to the screen in 1996. Phil shares how climbing over a studio fence led to his first job and why he believes a producer must understand every single role on a set to truly lead. We also discuss his current passion, SprueVerse, and why taking ten minutes for your own "creative release"—even if you think you’ll be bad at it—is the key to staying alive in a high-pressure world. In this episode, we discuss:* The Fence-Climbing Incident: How a literal leap of faith launched Phil's career with one of Hollywood’s greatest casting directors. * No Means Yes: Why Phil views rejection as fuel rather than a stop sign, and how that mindset saved the Doctor. * The "Indelible" Teacher: The power of the people who see our potential before we do. * SprueVerse and Scale Models: Why "owning your time" for a hobby like scale modeling is a vital act of creative survival.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, low-pressure session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." Join the Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 0:00 How to get unstuck through creative curiosity 1:15 Phil Segal’s early life: A creative kid in a wacky world 4:30 Moving from the UK to San Diego: A world of possibilities 7:15 The impact of a great teacher and the legacy of sharing 13:10 Climbing the fence: Phil’s legendary Hollywood break-in 17:40 Learning every job: The secret to being a confident producer 21:30 The 7-year fight for the Doctor Who TV movie rights 33:45 Dealing with rejection: Why "No means Yes" 41:00 On-set memories with Sylvester McCoy 52:10 SprueVerse: Reclaiming joy through scale modeling 56:30 Why you must own your time for yourself Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre, writing, and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
What happens when you spend so much time being "reliable" that you forget how to be meaningful? In this third installment of Reports from the Creative Closet, I’m exploring the "Be Good" trap. We often learn very early that being predictable and agreeable is safer than being fully alive, but that safety comes at a high price. I discuss the Traffic Rule Covenant—a look at how we use rules to reduce uncertainty, and what happens when we stop treating those rules as tools and start treating them as our identity. We'll explore the "quiet grief" of adulting, the friction of being "manageable" in professional environments, and why your "rough edges" are actually the parts of you the world needs most. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through creativity, curiosity, and play. In this episode, I discuss:* The Social Survival Instinct: Why we’ll do anything to avoid being "thrown out" of the community. * The Traffic Light Metaphor: Understanding rules as tools for safety rather than definitions of self. * The Reliability Tax: Why professional "manageability" often requires us to override our internal signals. * The Adulting Lie: Why being a "grown-up" shouldn't require you to abandon your curiosity and play.
If you're tired of thinking about answering a creative call but never actually doing it, come join me for an hour and start feeling like yourself again. The Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle is a safe, welcoming, and encouraging environment where we send the shoulds and inner critics off to summer camp where they're kept busy rather than getting in our way. Join us here!
What happens when you realize that "anything you want to be" actually includes the thing people told you wasn't practical? In this week's conversation, I’m talking with my good friend Katie DeBonville. Katie is an emerging author whose new book, Grace Notes, explores the intersection of music, memory, and the courage it takes to speak your mind. Katie shares the story of her legendary stand-off with a high school guidance counselor, her journey from wanting to be first-chair flute in the Boston Symphony to earning a writing degree at 50, and why she believes success is not a zero-sum game. We also examine the "audacity" required to follow a creative calling and why your creative spark never truly disappears—it just waits for you to give it permission to play. I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through creativity, curiosity, and play. In this episode, we discuss:* The Practicality Trap: Why creative careers are often discouraged and how to push back against the "shoulds." * The "Emerging" Author: The reality of starting a new creative chapter at 53. * Finding Your Story: How the right mentors can help you see the patterns in your own life that you’ve been missing. * Creative Community: Why having each other's backs is the only way to beat the "plotter vs. pantser" politics.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour and just enjoy some creative company? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." Join the Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 0:00 Introduction1:05 Meeting Katie DeBonville: The "emerging author" at 532:53 The blank book obsession and the fear of the first page3:51 The First Chair Dream: Ambition vs. Reality in the Boston Symphony8:58 The Guidance Counselor Story: Fighting for a creative life12:31 Why encouragement changes the data on creative success17:07 Sibylline Press: Giving a voice to women over 50 22:40 The audacity of speaking your mind (and the Communion story)30:57 Doing an MFA during the pandemic: The right time to commit42:26 Finding Your Story: Lessons from three legendary mentors50:24 Flash Fiction and the beauty of the 70-word piece56:15 Plotters vs. Pantsers: Why there is no "correct" way to write Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and music.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Have you ever realized that "adulting" has become a fancy word for getting really, really good at ignoring your own signals? In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I’m exploring the eerie reality that we aren't actually "lost"—we just forgot where we put ourselves. I’m sharing why that "force of will" you had as a five-year-old is the key to breaking free from the mask that is currently exhausting you. In this episode, I discuss:* The Pork BBQ Standoff: Why my five-year-old nephew's legendary refusal to try barbecue is a masterclass in creative clarity. * The Adulting Mask: The massive energy cost of spending your whole day saying "I should probably" while your intuition is saying "no". * Bad Snowflakes: How a simple, ridiculous drawing exercise can drop your persona and bring your energy back to life. * The Creative Attic: Why you didn't lose your spark; you just stuffed it into a box in the attic so you could "go along to get along.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." Join the Creativity Circle.
What is the one question that drives every single thing you create? My guest this week is the self-described "happy hyphenate" Matthew Jacobs. Best known for contributing to major titles like Young Indiana Jones and The Emperor's New Groove and writing the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, Matthew joins me to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the TV movie’s release. Matthew tells me about his "No Rules" approach to creativity and his fascinating method for finding your "Creative Fingerprint"—the hidden linking tissue between the stories you love and the work you produce. And his definition of creativity is my favorite—ever. Whether you're a fan of the Doctor or an exhausted perfectionist looking to reclaim your own creative authority, this conversation is an invitation to stop performing and start feeling human again. Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour and just enjoy some creative company? We get together once a month for a relaxed, co-working-style session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." Join the Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 0:00 Childhood creativity and early acting origins
3:50 Transitioning from acting to directing and writing
7:15 The dream based approach to starting a script
11:00 Learning the craft by reading professional scripts
15:30 Why there are no rules in the creative process
20:10 The power of the childhood "why?"
24:45 How to find your personal fingerprint question
32:10 Bringing your unique voice to major franchises
38:20 The truth about the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie
45:45 From "The Llama King" to The Emperors New Groove
50:30 Dealing with creative backlash and legacy
54:00 Closing thoughts and appreciation Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre, writing, and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Have you ever looked at your life and realized that while everything is "okay" on paper, something is deeply off? You aren't alone, and I don't think the problem is you. I think the problem is the invisible pressure we all feel to be "good enough" at everything we touch. Welcome to the first Report from the Creative Closet—a new series of dispatches designed to help you move past the "shoulds" of adulthood and reconnect with your own aliveness. In this inaugural report, I share one of the weirdest but most effective ways I know to escape the perfectionism trap: making bad art on purpose. In this episode, I discuss:* The Falling Down Machines: Why we forget how to learn like toddlers—who fall on their faces and laugh rather than giving up. * The 30-Day Experiment: What happened on Day 15 of my journey writing 30 "bad" poems for YouTube. * Summer Camp for Critics: How to send your inner critic away on a scary ropes course so you are finally free to play. * The Creative Authority: Why doing things "badly" is actually the fastest path back to your real self.
My Promise: I will never tell you that you need to force your way through resistance or ignore your intuition to follow a rigid self-help script. I’m here to provide a sanctuary, not another to-do list. Ready to stop performing and start living? If this resonates, I invite you to join me for a free Creativity Circle. We get together once a month for a relaxed session where you can experiment without any pressure to do anything you don't want to do.
What happens when the role you play on screen starts to close doors in your real life? My guest this week is actress Nicola Bryant, famously known as the American companion, Peri, on Doctor Who. In a story that sounds like a movie itself, Nicola shares how she pretended to be American for three years—both on and off-set—and how that choice affected her career for decades. We explore her creative childhood, her transition from ballet to theater, and her deep interest in the power of hypnosis to help others heal and grow. This is a conversation about creativity, identity, and the courage it takes to finally trust your own gut. If you’re ready to stop performing and start feeling human again, I invite you to join me for a free Creativity Circle—the next one is this coming Saturday, April 25. Episode breakdown: 0:00 Intro and childhood creativity
4:15 The art of creative cooking
8:30 Perception and seeing the world differently
13:00 From ballet school dreams to acting
17:45 The "act 18" audition story
22:15 Realizing the power of acting choices
27:30 Embodying roles and character work
32:00 The secret Doctor Who audition
37:15 Living a double life as American
42:30 Navigating career typecasting and snobbery
47:45 Getting discovered in the West End
52:15 Returning to Peri on audio
56:30 The science and art of hypnosis
1:00:00 Trusting your gut and the mind body connection
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
If you're currently fighting with a project that refuses to behave, you might be trying to force an outcome that wasn't meant to be. In this episode, I share a surprising lesson from Tom Hanks’ performance in Forrest Gump. We often think that being a "pro" means forcing our vision into reality, but sometimes the most professional thing you can do is learn to follow your project’s lead instead. Whether you're a writer, an artist, or just someone trying to get through a messy creative week, this pep talk is a permission slip to stop the "force" and start the "flow." Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Every episode stands on its own. If you're ready to stop performing and start feeling human again, I invite you to join me for a free Creativity Circle. (Don't forget to confirm you subscription!) We meet next on April 25.
If you’ve ever felt frustrated, angry, or deeply misunderstood during a conversation, the culprit might be a single word you didn’t know was dangerous. In this episode, I’m talking with equity strategist Danielle Marshall about the power of curiosity to bridge divides and change culture. Danielle shares why asking "What else might be true?" is her most powerful tool for connection and why she decided to learn a brand new skill every year once she turned 40. Whether you're trying to navigate a difficult workplace culture or just want to have better conversations with your kids, this episode is a permission slip to put down the judgment and pick up curiosity instead. If you're ready to stop performing and start feeling human again, I invite you to join me for our free Creativity Circle. Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction
04:02 Embracing curiosity, asking questions, and building strong connections.
08:14 Making networking meaningful by asking genuine, human-centered questions.
12:20 Being curious instead of judgmental leads to better conversations.
16:13 Dangers of relying solely on AI for answers.
20:14 Approaching organizational culture change through curiosity and pain points.
24:31 Challenges in shifting to a true feedback culture.
28:23 Coaching empowers ownership by guiding with questions, not answers.
32:19 Learning to handle feedback thoughtfully and with discernment.
36:18 Curiosity is like a muscle, build it intentionally over time.
40:09 Start with simple curiosity, apply process to bigger challenges.
44:09 Questions can reveal disconnects between leadership and frontline experience.
You can get your copy of Danielle's Curiosity Playbook here.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
If you’ve been feeling like you’re clawing your way up a cement wall by your fingernails just to get through your "to-do" list, this conversation is for you. I recently realized I was my own worst client. In this Creative Pep Talk, I’m sharing the three-word message I saw on the back of a truck that stopped me in my tracks—and how it helped me save my creative spark. If you are a perfectionist struggling with burnout or the pressure to over-function, this episode is a "permission slip" to listen to what your own resistance is trying to tell you. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Every episode stands on its own. If you're ready to stop pushing and start feeling human again, I invite you to join me for a free Creativity Circle.
Have you ever felt like you need a "permission slip" to try a different creative path, even when you’re already "successful" in another? In this episode, I’m talking with award-winning screenwriter Leslie Rasmussen, who spent years in the high-pressure world of comedy writing for iconic television shows like Roseanne, The Drew Carey Show, and Sweet Valley High before pivoting to her true passion: writing novels.
If you are an exhausted perfectionist who feels stuck in a specific professional lane or fears that your creative spark has a deadline, Leslie’s journey from the TV writer's room to the "Wild West" of fiction will show you how to reclaim your own narrative. Most creative advice tells you to pick a lane and stay there or to follow a rigid corporate productivity system. But on this podcast, we believe in messy, joyful creativity for people who are tired of the pressure to perform. We focus on the life force of your work—not just the output.
Episode breakdown:
0:00 Transitioning from TV scripts to fiction
4:15 Growing up creative in Los Angeles
8:30 Breaking into Hollywood as an assistant
12:45 Challenges for women in comedy writing
17:20 The role of mentorship and networking
21:50 Working on ALF and Carol and Company
26:10 How actors help writers find their voice
31:45 The difference between sitcoms and animation
36:30 Outlining vs writing by the seat of your pants
41:15 Working with developmental editors
46:50 The reality of the TV writers room at 2 AM
51:20 From a nutrition business back to storytelling
56:45 The vulnerability of professional book reviews
59:10 Writing about family secrets and sisters
1:00:58 Final advice and closing thoughts
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
In this creative pep talk, I'm sharing a personal confession: I realized I was in the middle of nearly burning myself out because I forgot to let myself have enough fun. We live in a culture that wants us to prioritize working all the time and forget that joy is a necessity, not a luxury. I’m sharing the $0 Joy Gift—the tiny, simple things like a piece of classical music or a laugh over $10 aluminum foil—that can save your soul when you feel your creative spark is being drained dry.
Most burnout advice tells you to "just crush it" or optimize your schedule. But on this channel, we believe in messy, joyful creativity for people who are tired of the pressure to perform.
My Promise to You:
🤦🏻♂️ I’ll never tell you that you have to "earn" your joy through high performance.
🤷🏻♂️ I won’t ask you to ignore your need for play to fit a rigid corporate system.
😁 I will never treat your need for a creative sanctuary as a failure of discipline.
What we’re exploring in this episode:
✨ The Irony of Burnout: Why it’s so easy to give advice and so hard to remember to take it.
🎶 The $0 Joy Gift: How tiny things—like a piece of music or a laugh over $10 aluminum foil—can save your soul.
🧠 The Aptitude Trap: Why being "analytical" can sometimes lead you down a rabbit hole of exhaustion.
💖 The "Importance" Reframe: A reminder that your creativity matters because you matter.
Sound good? If this resonates, subscribe to join our rebellion against the "shoulds" and the pressure to perform.
And if you want a safe space to explore this way of being with others, the door to our next free Creativity Circle is open. (Don't forget to confirm your subscription!) We meet again on March 21.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Paul Pape is a creative problem navigator, TEDx speaker, and author known as “Santa for Nerds.” Over the past 20 years, he has built a reputation as the specialty artist companies like Disney, Universal, and Nickelodeon call when they need something that doesn’t exist or their internal teams can’t build. Working from his Nebraska studio, Paul creates custom collectibles, props, and prototypes with tight deadlines and exacting standards.
Paul is the creator of Gamify Business and author of The Creative Player’s Handbook to Business, which translates intimidating business concepts into gaming language that creative minds actually understand. Through his books, workshops, and coaching, he helps entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses without sacrificing their creative souls, proving that the “starving artist” stereotype is outdated and unnecessary.
Paul first appeared on Follow Your Curiosity in September 2024, and I invited him to come back to tell us about his new Gamify Business program. Paul talks with me about how he recognized the need for a more creative metaphor for entrepreneurship; the danger of losing touch with your passion as your creative business grows; how the focus on what’s NOT possible, plus the constant need to ask permission—even as a adults—can get in our way, and a whole lot more. If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of starting a business, especially as a creative, this episode is for you.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction.
04:10 Using Dungeons and Dragons to explain creative business roles.
08:18 Leveling up business skills with gaming metaphors.
12:00 Business isn’t selling out; creatives deserve a livable wage.
16:05 Building the book through stories and personal experience.
20:13 Learning entrepreneurship by adapting methods to suit yourself.
24:10 Gatekeeping of business concepts and simplifying with new language.
28:47 Kids embrace entrepreneurship because they haven’t been told no.
32:27 Making a fool of yourself helps growth and confidence.
37:08 Confidence from passion attracts opportunities and like-minded people.
41:57 The tipping point: when passion becomes a draining job.
46:53 Failing is natural; our schooling overemphasizes perfection.
51:25 Coaching, permission, and feeling proud support creative entrepreneurship.
56:29 Rediscovering fun and permission helps creativity thrive.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in entrepreneurship.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
“I am here to help people get their power back. I don’t want people’s power.”
Whether you know it or not, you have immense creative and personal power. But in a society that often tries to take that power away—or tells you that you should give your power to a "guru"—it’s easy to feel invisible in your own life.
In this video, I explore why creativity is actually the fastest path back to yourself. While traditional tools in psychology and psychotherapy are valuable for understanding our past, messy and joyful creativity focuses on your aliveness in the present. This channel is a sanctuary for those who want to reclaim their agency without the pressure of productivity or performance.
My Promise to You:
• 🤦🏻♂️ I’ll never tell you that you are "broken" or need to be "optimized".
• 🤷🏻♂️ I won’t ask you to give your power to a "guru" or follow a rigid system.
• 😁 I will never prioritize a "crush it" mentality over your need for a safe haven.
What we’re exploring in this episode:
• The Power Illusion: Why "power-over" is usually an illusion and how to tap into "power-with" instead.
• The Political is Personal: Navigating a world where authoritarianism and "guru culture" try to claim your agency.
• Creativity as Self-Relationship: Why playing with colors or words is a radical act of reclaiming your own decisions.
• Reclaiming Your Aliveness: How to use your creative power to make a difference in your community.
Sound good? If this resonates, subscribe to join our rebellion against the "shoulds." And if you want a physical sanctuary to practice this way of being, join us for our next free Creativity Circle.
And if you want a safe space to explore this way of being with others, the door to our next free Creativity Circle is open. (Don't forget to confirm your subscription!)
You can find my Substack Live conversation here.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Dr. Kelly Flanagan is a clinical psychologist whose writing and speaking have resulted in an appearance on the TODAY Show, as well as features in publications including Reader’s Digest and Success Magazine. He’s no stranger to Follow Your Curiosity, having been on the show twice before to discuss his first book, Loveable, and his first novel, The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell.
He chose to write his forthcoming non-fiction book with input from his online community, and the result is The Road Less Triggered: Turning Conflict into Connection with a Single Choice, which will be released on March 3.
Kelly talks with me about how he chose to include others in his process and how it influenced the book, why we keep hearing so much about regulating the nervous system, what it means to be open hearted (and how to tell if your heart is closing), and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction.
04:41 Community input shaped the book’s content and direction.
09:35 Feedback engagement valued more than just positive or negative notes.
14:13 Embracing vulnerability and doubt as growth opportunities in writing.
19:22 Walking and voice recording spark creativity and problem-solving.
24:13 Conversation and real-life application deepened the book’s insights.
29:19 Open-heartedness means accepting reality fully, not being a doormat.
34:46 Noticing and reopening a closed heart is a daily practice.
39:46 Nervous system dysregulation is widespread and fueled by social media.
44:30 Catching body’s early warning signs helps stop defensive behavior.
49:59 We intuitively know open versus closed heart through bodily sensations.
54:38 Creativity requires reconnecting with body wisdom and staying open-hearted.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
You don't have to earn your own kindness. This episode is a look at why radical self-compassion is the creative lifestyle shift your exhaustion has been asking for.
If you’ve been treating self care like a "treat" for good behavior rather than a necessity for your wellbeing, you aren't alone and you aren't broken. In this episode, I explore why radical kindness is a vital act of resistance for exhausted perfectionists struggling with the pressure to perform.
Most mental health and self-help advice tells you to "just crush it" or optimize your way out of burnout. But on this podcast, I provide a sanctuary for messy, joyful creativity that focuses on your aliveness, not your productivity.
My Promise to You:
• 🤦🏻♂️ I’ll never tell you that you need to be "productive" to deserve a break.
• 🤷🏻♂️ I won't ignore the systemic pressures that make self-compassion feel like a luxury.
• 😁 I will never treat your need for rest as a failure of discipline.
What we’re exploring today:
• The Reward Trap: Why we think we have to "earn" our own kindness.
• Creative Resilience: How practicing kindness as a life force changes your creative process.
• Finding Five Minutes: Small, gentle ways to improve your well-being without the pressure to be perfect.
Sound good? If this resonates, subscribe to join our rebellion against the "shoulds."
And if you want a safe space to explore this way of being with others, the door to our next free Creativity Circle is open. (Don't forget to confirm your subscription!)
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Hi, everyone! I've been traveling, so I'm re-upping what's probably my favorite interview of all time (which is saying a LOT). It's a conversation I think a lot of us probably need right now. If you haven't heard it before, you're in for a treat. If you've heard it before, I promise it's worth a second listen. Either way, enjoy!
Original release date: January 31, 2024
--
Tim Myers does a bit of everything: he’s a writer, songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University, where he teaches writing. We got together to talk about the nature of creativity, which Tim calls a “sacred mystery,” including everything from the way our childhood creativity is changed by the culture as we become adults, the necessary role of play in the creative process, the transcendent experiences of awe and wonder and how they fuel us, the wisdom of following your gut, and a whole lot more.
Episode breakdown:
01:39 Kids are instantly creative, often play traditionally.
06:50 Creativity influenced by nature, nurture, educators.
15:50 Importance of creativity in education and society.
21:22 Differences between play in childhood versus "professional" adults.
24:56 Nancy switched to teaching, advisor, and writing lit mag.
30:49 Encouraging exploration of language and creative thinking.
37:04 Parents see child, lifetime of giving love.
40:35 Zen story about finding wonder in life.
45:27 Believing in progress through challenging circumstances.
50:34 Art, festivals, play as a primal need.
56:21 Semantic split between "religion" and "spirituality."
01:01:14 Falling in love based on unique personal idiosyncrasies.
01:07:23 Experimenting with writing schedule structure.
01:13:45 Craft is in choosing words for impact.
01:19:22 Writers and feedback.
01:25:00 Tim struggles with generalist vs specialist identity.
01:26:31 Passion for storytelling and visual art emerges.
01:35:38 Weekly writing schedule reduces overthinking and focus on perfection.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us how play influences your creative process.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
If you’ve been feeling demoralized by the 24-hour news cycle and the weight of the world, you aren't alone and you aren't broken. In this video, we explore why creating a safe haven for yourself isn’t about denial or being "unproductive"—it’s about reclaiming the aliveness you need to keep going.
Most advice tells you to "stay informed" until you're exhausted or "just crush it" despite the chaos. On this podcast, I provide a sanctuary for messy, joyful creativity for people who are tired of the pressure to perform when the world feels like it’s burning.
My Promise to You:
- 🤦🏻♂️ I’ll never tell you to force productivity through resistance.
- 🤷🏻♂️ I won’t ask you to ignore your intuition or reality to fit an ideal.
- 😁 I will never imply you are "broken" because you need a break.
What we’re exploring today:
- The News Cycle Cost: Why it’s okay to say "no" to the constant beating at your attention.
- Creativity as Survival: Why awe, wonder, and beauty are the things that make being here worthwhile.
- Finding Five Minutes: How to give yourself permission to pull back and reconnect with yourself.
Sound good? If so, subscribe so you don't miss our upcoming guidance on escaping the 'shoulds'!
And if you need a safe place to come and be with others right now, I invite you to join us for our next free Creativity Circle. (Don't forget to confirm your subscription!)
Segun Akinola is a British-Nigerian composer for film and television. He is most known for his music in the three series of Doctor Who starring the first female Doctor, Jodie Whittaker. A BAFTA Breakthrough Brit 2017, Segun’s other work includes scoring Sundance 2019 favorite and World Soundtrack Award nominee The Last Tree, Apple TV+ feature 9/11: Inside The President's War Room, and the BBC's landmark series Black and British: A Forgotten History. His recent projects include Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and the BBC series Kingdom, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Segun talks with me about music as storytelling, the importance of determination and how we undervalue asking for help, the power of curiosity to drive learning, creative growth through collaboration, and a lot more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:04 Discovering music as a child.
08:37 Transformers film sparked deep interest in movie music.
12:11 Access to YouTube helped him learn about modern composers.
16:39 More composers today due to online resources and courses.
20:19 Networking and persistence led to first professional composing gig.
24:07 Collaboration and peer learning valued as much as formal education.
28:04 Focuses on music as essential part of storytelling.
32:07 Creative growth comes from tackling difficult, unexpected musical challenges.
36:37 Film scores' emotional impact, balancing craft and artistry.
41:08 Fans and social media now deeply engage with film music.
45:27 Composing for Doctor Who brought excitement and creative freedom.
50:52 Always trying new styles, learning, and refining unique sound.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in music and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
"No thanks. I’m going to play today."
This episode is a little different.
If you feel exhausted, demoralized, or like a "ghost of your old self," you aren't broken—you are a human being responding to a global situation that feels less stable every day. In this episode, I explore why creative rebellion is a vital act of resistance. This isn't about being productive or making a statement; it’s about reminding yourself that you are still alive.
I’m Nancy Norbeck, Messy Muse Mentor, and I help exhausted perfectionists find gentle, playful ways to spark expression again. This episode is a call to reclaim your aliveness through small, five-minute acts of "useless" play that keep your head above water.
What you can expect from this episode (and this show):
- 🤦🏻♂️ No Pressure: I’ll never tell you to force productivity through resistance.
- 🤷🏻♂️ No Bypassing: We won't ignore reality or live in denial; we reconnect with the parts of reality the headlines miss.
- 😁 No "Shoulds": This is a sanctuary, not a school. There are no requirements to be an "artist" or produce "good" art.
I discuss the logic of demoralization and why staying connected to your joy makes you harder to control. If you’ve been yearning for a space to just be without the pressure to perform, this conversation is for you.
Ready to join the rebellion?
If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe so you never miss a dose of creative permission.
Take Action: If you need a physical space of sanctuary right now, I invite you to join our free Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle this Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern. It’s an online, low-to-no pressure space where you can draw, daydream, or simply exist in a creative community.
Join the Free Creativity Circle here (don't forget to confirm your subscription!)
Louise Jameson is a classically trained actress whose first love is the stage—she spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the beginning of her career—but she also became known to millions of British television viewers through her roles in such hugely popular television series as Doctor Who, Tenko, Bergerac and EastEnders. Her recent theatre credits include Vincent River and directing the UK tour of Revenge. Her audio credits include Doctor Who (Big Finish), writing ATA Girl, about the women of the Air Transport Authority during World War II, and multiple titles for BBC Audio and Audible.
Louise talks with me about her unusually young start at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and how her training continued at the Royal Shakespeare Company, how her Doctor Who character, Leela of the Sevateem, reflected the feminism of the 1970s (and how she didn’t), how she started writing, and what she thinks of the opportunities for—and representation of—women in film and TV over the years.
If you want to watch this conversation, you can see it here on YouTube!
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:00 Louise describes childhood creativity, daydreaming, and reading early.
08:00 Drama school, age gap with classmates, and strict discipline.
12:00 Acting requires teamwork; Louise reflects on early career.
16:00 Louise's Shakespeare passion, favorite roles and performance experiences.
20:00 Louise talks about landing Leela role in Doctor Who.
24:00 Doctor Who impacts life daily; gratitude for lasting connections.
28:00 Leela's feminist traits and costume choices, fighting stereotypes.
32:00 Leela's intelligence and evolution, relationship with other companions.
36:00 Influence of audio plays; Gallifrey series has strong female fandom.
40:00 Louise discusses writing, self-doubt, and encouragement from collaborators.
44:00 Directing stage, teaching drama; regrets and living in the now.
48:00 Shakespeare’s rhythmic influence on Louise’s writing and teaching.
52:00 Conversation shifts to social media, attention economy, and technology.
56:00 Louise analyzes Shakespeare’s poetic technique and its storytelling power.
01:00 Louise explains collective magic of live theater and storytelling.
01:04 Progress and ongoing challenges for women in TV and film.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing, theatre, and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Ready to break free from unrealistic New Year's resolutions and finally make lasting progress on your goals? Let's take a look at a brain-based approach to achieving your resolutions without burning out or resenting yourself.
If the light inside you has gone out and you can’t seem to get it to spark again, the One Lock, One Key Illumination Session may be for you. It's a pilot offer with special pricing for the first 20 people who sign up here.
Want more tips? Check out all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Tony Stewart has made award-winning films for college and universities, written acclaimed software, and now has written his first book. That book, Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy while Grieving, tells the story of Tony and his late wife, painter Lynn Kotula, as they navigate her Stage IV cancer diagnosis, treatment, and hospice, and Tony’s journey out of grief. Tony joins me to talk about his original journey from writing to software development, how it felt to return to writing via CaringBridge after Lynn’s diagnosis, the process of writing Carrying the Tiger, the nature of grief, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Intro
02:12 Introducing Tony Stewart
03:02 Creative Childhood Experiences
08:02 Shakespeare in the Park
11:34 Understanding Filmmaking Client Needs
17:48 Complex Problems Beyond Machine Solutions
19:15 Joy of Reading Book Reviews
24:58 Returning to Writing
26:39 The Beginning of the Book
29:29 Writing Addiction and Motivation
32:40 Overview of the Book
34:00 Writing in Present Tense
38:38 Memoir as Thriller
41:31 Structuring the Book
42:24 Tony's Memories and Reflections
45:51 Creating Realistic Characters
48:27 Exploring Grief
52:04 Anticipatory Grief
56:58 Individuality of Grief Experiences
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
It can be one of the hardest things to convince ourselves to do when the voices of doubt, self-judgment, and perfectionism are up to their old tricks, but it really is important to take action, not just think about it. I'll tell you why—and how—in this short episode.
If watching your kids build a pillow fort makes you wonder where the heck that zany, wild, playful part of yourself went...it's time to Make Bad Art. Doors are open now for a new cohort starting on October 14. (Use code PODCAST101 for $100 off!)
Want more tips? Check out all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Will Brooks is a freelance artist and designer who mostly works with licensed properties, especially Doctor Who. For five years, Will was the in-house ‘photo’ artist for Titan Comics’ Doctor Who ranges, providing more than 160 covers. He’s also produced artwork for Big Finish Productions and the Doctor Who Experience, and was the lead artist and designer for the second edition of Cubicle 7’s Doctor Who RPG, for which he also wrote material.
Will joins me to talk about how he got his start with licensed artwork, the process of creating covers for Titan and Big Finish, the power of just doing something when nothing seems to be coming together creatively, helpful criticism vs. tearing folks’ work down, the effects of leaving social media, and more.
If you’re tired of your inner critic running amok in your head and you're ready to confine it to quarters, Make Bad Art: Ditch Perfectionism and Have Fun Doing It starts on October 14!
Episode breakdown:
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Creative Childhood
04:54 - Starting with Doctor Who Art
13:18 - Art School Lessons
15:34 - Art School Experience
19:14 - Impostor Syndrome Insights
24:54 - Beginning in Doctor Who Comics
30:14 - Comic Cover Creation
32:28 - Sources of Creativity
40:00 - Comic Cover Process
42:58 - Social Media Impact
47:10 - Importance of Consistency
50:26 - Facebook Manipulation
56:34 - Current Projects
59:57 - Conclusion
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who and visual arts.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
You've probably heard someone describe a performance as "electric," or "electrifying," and may even have used that term yourself. But how does that kind of performance happen, and what does it have to tell you about your creative practice? I'll tell you in this short episode.
If watching your kids build a pillow fort makes you wonder where the heck that zany, wild, playful part of yourself went...it's time to Make Bad Art. Doors are open now for a new cohort starting on October 14.
Want more tips? Check out all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
My guest this week is Richard Wilmore, the host and executive producer of the wildly successful daily talk and variety series Make Your Day Richer TV. From 2016 to 2022, he hosted the award-winning The Richard Wilmore Show. He also co-hosts the Wolf Media Fest podcast. Behind the scenes, Richard helps numerous podcasts and livestreams with production, editing, and talent booking needs through his company, Make Your Day Richer.
Richard talks with me about how he found his calling as a talk show host, why you should start where you are with what you have, the challenges of making work for hire and turning your art into a business, the importance (and difficulties) of listening to yourself, and a lot more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:09 Supportive parents let Richard explore.
09:06 Young Richard pretended to be a weatherperson, then talk show host.
13:11 Performing as himself felt natural, but nerves still linger.
17:16 Richard describes building colorful sets to energize his shows.
22:18 Created talk show sets in basements, bedrooms, and studios.
27:04 Richard and Nancy reflect on starting shows with minimal gear.
32:44 Burnout can happen even doing what you love most.
37:15 Turning creativity into business poses unexpected challenges for artists.
41:21 Listening to your gut is crucial but not always easy.
46:29 Self-doubt and outside opinions complicate creative decisions and direction.
51:49 Guests surprise Richard; reaching out directly often leads to yes.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and theatre.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
All those little things you think are weird about you? They're the things that make you unique. That make you stand out. It's time you embrace them instead of running from them. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
If you’re tired of waiting for “someday”—which is NOT a day of the week—to get unstuck and step toward your creative dream, we should talk.
Want more tips? Check out all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Terise Lang is a certified life, health, and wellness coach with a lifelong interest in and love of all things creative. She joins me today for a wide-ranging discussion of the power of creativity, including the way she uses creativity in her work, how our creativity is so often socialized out of us in the name of more conformity, our tendency to define creativity too narrowly and then decide that we don’t have it, the hidden creativity in fields like software engineering and cooking, how managers unconsciously limit their staff’s creativity while trying to foster it, the impact of artificial intelligence on our creative lives, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:21 Creativity gets socialized out, but it's dormant, not gone.
08:16 Everyone's unique perspective shapes creativity, even in simple family plays.
12:31 Start simply; creativity can revive with sketching, coloring, small experiments.
16:57 Software engineers, tech support, and problem-solving require creativity daily.
21:12 Recognize personal talents; downplaying strengths limits growth and joy.
25:24 Curiosity is essential—asking questions and exploring fuels creativity.
30:01 Coaching methods benefit from creativity; adapting routines yields effective results.
34:42 Tapping uses creativity; modifying it improves outcomes for clients.
38:56 Taking breaks, doing creative activities, and doodling refresh the mind.
44:14 Act your age debate; enjoying creativity is ageless and joyful.
48:13 Managers must encourage and credit staff creativity to boost morale.
52:47 Joy and growth flourish when creative self-expression is valued.
55:43 Society elevates machines, but AI can't replace human creativity.
01:00:42 AI uses resources, regurgitates information, can't replicate unique human writing.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Over the years, I've come to the often frustrating conclusion that we know more than we think we do. I tell you why in this short episode.
I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Writer, teacher, and humanitarian aid worker Alex Poppe joined me last year to talk about her journey from acting to teaching to writing, and how her experiences abroad influenced her journey. She returns to the show today to talk about her new memoir, Breakfast Wine, which chronicles her time teaching in Iraq. We also talk about what we each learned from living abroad at different ages and for different amounts of time, the special magic of teaching teens and young adults, and the way the arts teach us empathy and are a uniquely human way to give life meaning. Alex, who worked for USAID, also gives us a glimpse of the power of humanitarian aid around the world.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:18 Teaching international students changes perceptions about other cultures.
08:16 Political divisions and cultural nuances within Iraq explained.
12:26 Americans are insulated from ongoing events in Iraq.
16:09 Motivations for living abroad differ by age and situation.
20:47 Financial reasons and curiosity drive educators to work overseas.
24:39 The emotional impact of teaching youth in conflict regions.
28:14 Teachers and students mutually influence each other's lives deeply.
32:34 Adjusting to working with USAID and NGO environments.
36:00 Culture shock of returning to the US after years abroad.
40:26 Living abroad changes your outlook and maturity in many ways.
44:11 Encountering anti-American sentiment versus curiosity abroad.
48:09 The arts foster empathy and human connection in society.
52:28 Creative collaboration and failing exuberantly in brainstorming sessions.
56:01 The writing process of Breakfast Wine was messy and surprising.
01:03:34 Personal journey revealed through the writing process.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Here's a super-short story: something a friend said to me once that's stuck with me, and why I think it might help you keep some needed perspective on yourself and your creative efforts.
I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Jocelyn Hastie spent 30 years as an accountant before the combination of a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and a sudden job loss forced a radical turn, leading her to work full-time with horses as a way to foster leadership skills and personal growth. She joins me to talk about why it’s not fair to judge accountancy as boring, how bad management and leadership happens (including her own realization that she was a bad manager), what we lose when we forget the lessons of the natural world and our roots in it, what we can learn from the animals around us—including horses—and more.
Read about a lesson I learned from Jocelyn here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:25 Family influence suppressed creativity; art rediscovered after cancer diagnosis.
08:32 Jocelyn reflects on common misconceptions about accounting creativity.
12:39 Accountants add value, not just boring number crunchers.
16:32 Jocelyn’s career choice influenced by her father and education.
20:06 Radical life change after cancer and job loss in 2016.
24:35 Horses revealed Jocelyn's management flaws; learned new leadership styles.
28:09 Importance of authenticity and boundaries, not pleasing everyone.
32:25 Animals and nature as teachers for leadership and mindfulness.
36:05 Jocelyn describes her non-riding retreats and somatic awareness.
40:34 Emphasizes intentional learning versus just-in-case learning.
44:05 Life shifts can come from crisis or noticing “little knocks.”
48:54 Childhood expectations shaped independence; cancer forced acceptance of help.
52:23 Lessons from herd dynamics and horses’ instinct to regain calm.
56:07 Gestalt coaching emphasizes honoring emotions and shaking off fear.
If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
It's counterintuitive, but sometimes limitations are your best friend, especially when you're doing something creative. I explain why in this super-short episode.
Listen to my conversation with Nick Morrison here.
I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
My guest today is Josh Mendoza, an award-winning filmmaker known for his post-apocalyptic feature film, What Still Remains. His debut novel, Shadow of the Eternal Watcher, which combines sci-if and film noir, was released in January. Josh joins me to talk about his start in creative writing and his move into film, the similarities and differences in writing fiction and film, the necessity of learning through failure, the democratization of creative pursuits like filmmaking, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:42 Family support fuels persistence in creative pursuits.
08:51 Emphasizing positivity over negativity in sharing creative feedback.
13:40 Unexpected audience reactions highlight creators' limited control.
16:25 Importance of not focusing on negative reviews or criticism.
20:14 Film structure rules help shape and tighten storytelling in novels.
24:05 Editing and trimming elevate both novels and screenplays significantly.
28:14 Books become lasting physical achievements compared to shelved scripts.
32:07 Movie-making demands flexibility and compromise with real-world constraints.
36:02 Intellectual property’s role in getting projects greenlighted discussed.
39:56 Technology enables democratization, but creates challenges in standing out.
44:02 Bad creative work is necessary learning for improved future art.
48:13 Letting characters shape the story often leads to authenticity.
52:10 Duster Raines, Josh's protagonist, is both flawed and compelling.
55:38 Genre mashups and series building.
If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Building on my conversation with Amber Petty last week: I look at how and why you should celebrate your accomplishments in this short episode.
I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Amber Petty helps creatives get bylines and build audiences. She's written for the New York Times, Parade, Bustle, and others, and her clients have been published in outlets like the New Yorker, Washington Post, New York Times and many more. Amber talks with me about how she moved from teaching singing to teaching freelancing, how easy it is to downplay our accomplishments when we really should give ourselves credit for them, how to take feedback, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction.
01:56 Losing job led to full-time freelancing and shift in focus.
03:45 Pandemic inspired helping performers explore alternative side gigs.
05:06 Initial workshop success revealed a real demand for guidance.
06:42 Freelance writing felt more natural and sustainable than voice lessons.
08:32 Previous failures provided valuable lessons for current business success.
11:03 Business doesn’t have to feel hard to be worthwhile.
12:43 Take the easy path—hard enough already for perfectionists.
14:18 Writing doesn’t always need to be grueling or tortured.
15:58 Feedback is easier when you’re getting paid as a freelancer.
18:26 Editors focus on fitting articles, not judging your talent.
22:33 Read editorial feedback in a friendly, not critical, voice.
24:09 Creatives often undervalue or dismiss their legitimate achievements.
28:39 Small victories matter—acknowledge courage to pitch and publish.
33:48 Freelancing provided more satisfaction and momentum than acting.
36:57 Diverse backgrounds enrich your approach to writing and teaching.
40:33 Theater and improv help with webinars, workshops, and engagement.
If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
This might be the most functionally important pep talk ever—and you may even know it already! It bears repeating, though, and I tell you why in this super-short episode.
I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, let's talk.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Andrew Darlow is a New Jersey-based photographer, inventor, author, and digital workflow coach. For over 25 years he has helped people preserve, protect and back up their irreplaceable photos, videos and other digital files. His photography, tips and reviews have appeared in many publications and media outlets, including: People magazine, Animal Planet, Reader’s Digest and Professional Photographer Magazine. He is the author of four award-winning books, including his newest book: Focus and Filter.
Andrew talks with me about what drew him to photography, what we lost and gained in the shift to digital photography, the improvements in phone cameras in recent years, how best to preserve your photos—and weed out the junk—and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:22 Creativity explored in childhood, grandparents encouraged art.
03:57 Transition from drawing on walls to discovering photography.
05:30 Fascination with darkroom photography and its magic.
07:00 Different methods in darkroom, use of contact printing.
10:00 Engagement with photography, schools in Washington D.C.
11:27 Shift from film to digital, instant access vs. patience.
14:41 Improvement in phone cameras, use for scanning documents.
15:59 Loss of thoughtful consideration with digital photography.
19:16 Exploration of aperture and shutter priority.
21:39 Impact of phone cameras on traditional photography.
23:44 Usefulness of phone photography courses.
24:25 Concept of the best camera being the one with you.
26:11 Ethical considerations in photography, respecting subjects.
28:06 Dangers of distractions, selfies, and phone use.
30:01 Tips for safely backing up digital images.
34:06 Managing and organizing digital photo collections.
38:12 Strategies for dealing with physical photo preservation.
40:27 Importance of online backup services like Backblaze.
43:39 Overview of local and cloud backup solutions.
47:31 Andrew's upcoming projects, including course platform.
51:19 Insight into unique, personalized photography prints.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
What's your truth? Do you know? You might not—we're often not taught how to tell what's true for us, and instead, we're told what should be true for us. So why should we care, and how do we find out? I'll give you some suggestions in this short episode.
I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, let's talk.
Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Amy L. Bernstein is a multi-genre novelist, award-winning journalist, speechwriter,
playwright, poet, and nonfiction book coach. Her new book is Wrangling the Doubt
Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration. Amy teaches a variety of writing workshops and is a frequent guest on podcasts to discuss writing, publishing, and creativity. Amy joins me to talk about the difference between writing for hire and writing for yourself, the pros and cons of MFA programs, how deadlines can work for or against us, the universality of self-doubt and how it keeps us stuck, and a lot more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:14 Creative childhood and family influence.
02:14 Societal expectations and practicality pressures.
06:13 Navigating challenging career paths and personal fulfillment.
09:44 Shift from writing for others to personal projects.
14:25 Distinction between work and personal writing.
18:29 Importance of passion and creative drive.
21:37 Challenges of balancing work and creative pursuits.
25:43 Creativity hindered by productivity culture.
26:58 Thinking as part of the creative process.
31:09 Using local settings in novels and plays.
33:03 Introduction to Wrangling the Doubt Monster.
36:17 Universal nature of self-doubt in creativity.
44:06 Utilizing deadlines in different contexts.
48:39 Self-criticism and perfectionism in creativity.
50:55 The impact of upbringing on creative work.
54:35 Amy’s current projects and book coaching.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Sometimes we don't act on ideas because we're convinced we can't sustain them long-term. Here's why you should take a chance—and how taking the leap on creative pep talks worked out for me. 🎉 Spoiler: This is pep talk ONE HUNDRED!!! 🎉
I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, let's talk.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
My guest today is Wendi Gordon, a mental and spiritual health writer, speaker, and coach. Wendi writes for various digital media outlets, including her own “Changing Lives” newsletter, where she shares her mental and spiritual health struggles and the resources and practices that have helped her change her life to help others change theirs. Wendi talks with me about how she chose to become a pastor, the art of writing in a church environment, including having a weekly prompt and having to deliver the product to a live audience; how sermon writing has influenced her current writing; her surprise decision to move to Maui from Pennsylvania and why she moved to Texas; what she’s learned from spending time in nature, and a lot more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to Wendi Gordon and her work in mental and spiritual health.
01:18 Wendi's early creative experiences and the influence of writing in her life.
02:42 The creativity involved in being a pastor and related social work.
03:56 Journey to becoming a pastor inspired by a mentor.
06:22 Life-changing move from Pennsylvania to Maui and experiences in Hawaii.
08:21 Return to pastoral work and the impact of the pandemic on her career.
10:45 Facing political and denominational challenges in the church.
14:37 Transition from pastoral work to freelance writing and coaching.
17:18 The process of writing sermons and the influence of the church lectionary.
20:16 Facing public speaking and feedback as a pastor.
22:53 Unexpected reactions to sermons and dealing with feedback.
25:49 The creative process in freelancing and article pitching.
28:32 Bringing personal struggles into writing and helping others.
32:04 Addressing mental and spiritual health.
36:41 The intertwining of mental health with societal and political realities.
39:17 Sharing personal experiences to connect and help others.
42:14 Deconstruction and leaving behind harmful religious beliefs.
44:13 Viewing creativity as a spiritual experience.
47:27 Influence of nature and photography on creativity.
51:20 Spiritual and collective experiences at Bruce Springsteen concerts.
54:11 Impact of travel and different cultures on creativity.
57:04 Digital detox and the importance of being present in nature.
58:44 Encouragement to engage with nature and stillness.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Why should you start trusting yourself, and how do you start doing it more? I answer these questions in this super short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Jennae Cecelia is a best-selling author and poet known for her poetry books, Uncaged Wallflower, The Sun Will Rise and So Will We, and Healing for No One But Me. Her mission as an author is to comfort and encourage people. In addition to writing, she is focused on helping other authors learn how to successfully put their writing out into the world. Jennae joins me to talk about how she got her start with poetry, including her family’s reaction to the idea of poetry as a career; the unexpected experience of having a viral self-published poetry book; how she helps other authors master the art of self-publishing; what it’s like writing custom poetry for others, and more.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Jennae discusses her childhood imagination and family influences
03:55 Role models and seeing creativity as a realistic pursuit
05:16 Leaning into creativity after early publishing success
08:07 Family reactions to pursuing poetry as a career
10:49 Reflecting on misconceptions about job security and risks
13:39 Jennae's self-publishing strategies and viral book success
16:56 Building momentum with multiple books and Amazon rankings
20:36 The importance of poetry in paperback form
22:38 Impacts of viral success on her perspective and career
26:14 Jennae's writing process, journey from simplicity to detail
30:07 Finding readers through specificity in poetry
33:00 Advice for authors and importance of perseverance
37:34 Managing perfectionism in writing and publishing
40:49 Custom poetry projects and their meaningful connections
45:56 Emotional experiences writing for others, from weddings to memorials
49:12 Deciding to traditionally publish for broader reach and goals
55:09 Reflecting on the challenges and anticipation of traditional publishing
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
I'm just back from this year's Gallifrey One Doctor Who convention, and it's reminded me of the importance of being brave. How? Why? I'll tell you in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!
Horror author Mark Morris has written and edited around fifty novels, novellas, short story collections and anthologies. His script work includes audio dramas for Doctor Who and a Doctor Who spinoff series, Jago & Litefoot, and the Hammer Chillers series. His most recent work includes a new novel, That Which Stands Outside, and a 30th anniversary short story collection, Warts And All. Mark’s work has won numerous awards, including two British Fantasy Awards, and two New York Festival Radio Awards. Mark talks with me about how he got his start as an author, being welcomed into the horror writing community, the differences between writing his own novels and working on tie-in fiction for franchises like Doctor Who, Spartacus, and Predator, making the switch to writing audio scripts, and more.
You’ll hear us talking about one of the stars of the Jago & Litefoot series, Christopher Benjamin. Christopher Benjamin was beloved among Doctor Who fans for his portrayal of Henry Gordon Jago, and one of the few actors to appear in not only the classic series but in the new series as well. His 70-year career spanned stage, radio, television, and film, including shows like The Saint, The Forsyte Saga, and the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. Christopher Benjamin passed away at the age of 90 on January 10, 2025, and I’d like to dedicate this episode to his memory.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
02:01 Creative childhood and early storytelling.
04:55 Transition from history degree to writing career.
06:45 Determination to succeed.
12:09 Success with first novel, "Toady," and publicity.
20:29 Encouragement from horror writing community.
31:35 Writing tie-in fiction for Doctor Who and others.
39:22 Challenges of tight deadlines and research.
40:58 Insights into writing and editing processes.
44:17 Novelization of "Wild Blue Yonder" Doctor Who special.
46:25 Transition to writing for audio and challenges.
54:38 Upcoming projects and advice for young writers.
56:48 Emphasis on persistence and not turning down opportunities.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
It's incredibly counterintuitive, and can even be difficult, but one of the most important things you can do when the world is falling apart is have fun. I explain why in this super short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, subscribe to The Spark!
Photographer and author Autumn Carolynn’s relationship with wanderlust started early in her life, with a semester abroad in England. From there, she’s held a variety of travel-related positions, including flight attendant and travel agent, and all of them have allowed her to pursue photography around the globe. During the pandemic, she combined her photography with her travel stories, and the result is “Traveling in Wonder: A Photographer’s Tales of Wanderlust,” which encourages readers to embrace exploration and life’s everyday challenges. Autumn joins me to talk about the surprising gut instinct that changed the direction of her life, the realities of life as a flight attendant (including the wide range of life skills required for and learned on the job), the importance of traveling now rather than putting it off for retirement, and how she sees the intersection between travel and creativity. If you’re looking for inspiration to buy that plane ticket, this is it!
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
05:15 The alchemy of photo development
09:59 13 countries in 13 weeks
12:53 Secretive travels shared via Facebook
14:57 Exploring global fast food menus
18:13 Lost in Budapest
23:14 Gut feeling cancels Australia trip
25:44 Intense flight attendant training
29:34 Moving abroad: Not so simple
31:57 Adventure in Australia
38:10 Handling in-flight medical emergencies
41:53 "Traveling in Wonder" book release
43:28 Building a creative art business
47:20 Capturing memories for mom
50:05 Seize opportunities while able
55:48 Embrace new experiences
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
When there are a lot of things you could work on, which one do you choose? My answer is always the same, and very simple, though it's not always obvious or easy to follow thanks to the way a lot of us are taught: follow your energy! I explain why—and why ignoring the call of that energy can undermine us over time—in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, subscribe to The Spark!
Robert Constant works in higher education fundraising by day, but his side passion is writing children’s books. He is the published author of two children’s books, Hey Tuskegee! and Hello Grandma!, both of which have spent time on Amazon’s bestsellers lists for their category. Robert talks with me about how your creative dream may change your life—and it may change someone else’s, too; that you don’t have enough energy because you’re not doing your creativity, not the other way around; and the fact that it has never been easier for most people to follow their creative dreams than it is right now.
Join us for Make Bad Art starting on January 20 and get 2025 off to a fresh creative start! Details at MakeBadArtCourse.com.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:18 Dreaming of creating, jazz club inspiration.
09:56 University licensed book for bookstore sale.
14:19 Inspiring Tuskegee history: educate, inspire, acknowledge excellence.
17:27 Positive Tuskegee spirit highlighted through historic pride.
24:25 Writing a book changed my life positively.
31:40 Experiencing book signing events feels surreal.
33:39 Signed a book for an appreciative fan.
38:39 The singular experience of seeing your book for the first time.
46:06 City buzz inspires thoughts on future books.
51:13 Fight for self-control and personal ownership.
56:02 The value of finding the way that works for you.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
I recently sat down with my dear friend, author Cindy Lynn Speer, to talk about perfectionism and how it seeps into us through the culture in insidious ways we don't even recognize—and how it affects us in similarly sneaky ways. We also talked about how making bad art can help us undo those lessons and free us from the voices of the inner critics that have been installed in our heads so we can loosen up, create more freely and have more fun in our lives.
Join us for Make Bad Art starting on January 20 and get 2025 off to a fresh creative start! Details at https://MakeBadArtCourse.com.
If you have questions about the course, please contact me. I'd love to talk to you!
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Start small, don't aim too high initially.
05:02 Start simple, avoid over-investing initially.
07:01 Embrace imperfection to enhance creativity flow.
10:32 Wanted to teach creative writing, but couldn't.
13:53 Creative writing facilitates easier, less perfectionistic writing.
20:30 Overcome self-judgment to embrace innate creativity.
23:25 Teaching unpredictably affects students, clarifying perfectionism vision.
27:30 Enjoying life more through sustainable art practice.
31:24 Struggled with structuring topics; needed adjustments.
34:34 Create bad art, prioritize interaction and questions.
36:45 Exercises allow personal interpretation and creativity.
40:32 Comparison and perfectionism constrain us from childhood.
45:56 Creativity suppressed; rediscover joy through art.
50:05 Contact me with questions about this transformative course.
52:03 Creativity course helps with self-kindness and communication.
Join us for Make Bad Art starting on January 20 and get 2025 off to a fresh creative start! Details at https://MakeBadArtCourse.com.
What if the question of your creativity is more about how you define the term than whether or not you have any? I explain in this short episode.
The second round of my Make Bad Art course starts on January 20! If you think you might be defining yourself out of your creativity, MBA is a great place to recalibrate that definition and come home to yourself. We had a fabulous time time in the first round, with moments of creative insight and inspiration all over the place! Learn more and sign up here.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, subscribe to The Spark!
Les Watson’s passion for and expertise in self-management and productivity comes from over 30 years of experience as a trainer, speaker, facilitator, and coach in self-management, motivation, and communication. He is the author of Get Back An Hour In Every Day and facilitates the acclaimed Creating Success Program.
Les talks with me about identifying your tendency and how it can cause trouble as you manage your time; how parents can take care of themselves first even in a busy household to make sure they get to their creativity; why deadlines are magic, not a medieval torture device; the keys to getting an hour of your time back every day, and more. I hope this conversation gets your New Year’s creativity resolutions off to a great start.
Join us for Make Bad Art starting on January 20 and get 2025 off to a fresh creative start! Details at MakeBadArtCourse.com.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Les Watson discusses self-management, productivity, and creativity.
05:35 What do you want and commit to?
08:51 Keeping self-appointments is as important as others.
12:17 It's easier to prioritize others over yourself.
15:44 Prioritize self-care first, like oxygen masks.
18:13 Setting boundaries for personal time with kids.
22:55 Clarify priorities to focus efforts effectively.
25:57 Incompletions persist, haunting and overwhelming thoughts.
28:57 Organize goals efficiently with a single system.
31:16 Deadlines motivated MFA completion, ensured timely submissions.
34:03 Get accountability buddy for art exhibition preparation.
39:41 Maximize return on investment using minimal effort.
42:25 Start big picture, identify steps, take action.
46:31 What do you want? Sacrifice for creativity.
50:13 Planning creates personal time and builds self-trust.
51:22 Write goals down to stay focused and organized.
55:38 Capture fleeting ideas before they vanish forever.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
If you feel like you've lost the joy in the holiday season, you may be overlooking the very simple secret to finding it. I explain how to reclaim it in this short episode (spoiler: it applies to more than just the holidays!).
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
The first round of my Make Bad Art course is underway and we are having a fabulous time, with moments of creative insight all over the place! If you'd like to know when I'm offering it again—which I will be in January—the best way to find out is to subscribe to my free creative community, The Spark! https://fycuriosity.substack.com
My guests today are Lisa McMullin and Alfie Shaw, both of whom write for Big Finish Productions, creators of audio dramas ranging from established series like Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, and Dark Shadows to original dramas featuring the Air Transport Auxiliary from World War II and Marcus Tullius Cicero in Ancient Rome. Lisa started her career as a drama teacher before moving into dramatic writing—she’s written for TV series like Death in Paradise and the Sister Boniface Mysteries as well—and Alfie, who is also a producer for Big Finish, dabbled in stand-up comedy.
We talk about Big Finish’s apparently magical ability to redeem characters—including villains—who were less than beloved, the challenges and opportunities of recasting familiar characters, the way Big Finish finds new writers (including the best ways to do that), what the writing process looks like for an audio series, and a lot more. While there’s a lot of Doctor Who in this conversation, there’s also a lot of insight into the creative process, too. We apologize for being a bit vague about particular stories so as not to spoil them for those who haven’t heard them. Here’s my conversation with Lisa McMullin and Alfie Shaw.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:39 Lisa's creative childhood
09:22 Alfie's early passion for stand-up.
11:03 Alfie worked at BBC before Big Finish.
21:10 Lisa met writers, felt impostor syndrome, networked successfully.
23:19 Mixed interests: Paul McGann, river, Big Finish's "Survivors."
27:46 Amused student challenges English class symbolism interpretations.
34:57 AI affects creativity more than expected.
42:27 Exploring creativity within set formats is valuable.
44:13 Big Finish enhances characters like Sixth Doctor, Daleks.
50:54 Varied reactions to piece on religion, conversion.
57:04 Balancing new ideas and classic elements creatively.
59:44 Paul Spragg entries processed anonymously for judging panel selection.
01:05:56 Balancing established and new talent in writing.
01:14:58 Audio parallels theater through character-driven dialogue.
01:21:24 Recast Doctors' strength: unique, non-traditional portrayals.
01:23:24 Continuously innovate and explore new creative possibilities.
01:28:25 Eleventh Doctor and Jacob Dudman.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who and writing.
When the world is falling apart around you, it's not just okay to take care of yourself—it's necessary. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
The first round of my Make Bad Art course is underway and we are having a fabulous time, with moments of creative insight all over the place! If you'd like to know when I'm offering it again—which I will be in January—the best way to find out is to subscribe to my free creative community, The Spark! https://fycuriosity.substack.com
Freelance writer Amy Weinland Daughters mostly wrote about college football until she decided to try her hand at, in her words, “a hilarious time travel novel.” That novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened, turned out to be a catharsis, giving her a whole new look at her childhood and her family. It’s gone on to win the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Award.
Amy and I talk about the experience of writing about sports as a woman, what happens when a creative project becomes “real,” the importance of supporting each other’s creative dreams, even if they seem a little crazy, and just how she re-constituted Thanksgiving weekend 1978, and her whole family from an adult point of view, in her book.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:22 Always creative, imaginative childhood eventually inspired writing.
09:27 Support networks vital for achieving difficult careers.
10:42 Creative doubt and imposter syndrome affect identity.
18:23 Creating requires empathy; art preferences are subjective.
21:14 Believe in yourself; push to create magic.
27:52 Unexpectedly transformative journey, beyond initial intentions.
36:41 Book evoked nostalgia, laughter, and personal reflection.
38:59 Embraced younger self, now proud and united.
45:44 Memories change with age and perspective.
52:18 Nostalgic, relatable, thought-provoking, humorously realistic moments.
53:12 Misunderstood as sci-fi; divided reader opinions.
59:29 People share personal childhood stories with Amy.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Story lover Lucinda Sage-Midgorden and I met here on Follow Your Curiosity last year. We got together this past week for a short conversation for her Patreon about why you should think about making bad art and embracing anti-perfectionism. What does that mean (and not mean), and how might it change your life? For that matter, how are we defining perfectionism—it’s often not what we expect it to be (as I learned myself when I was training as a Kaizen-Muse coach, to my great shock and, yes, horror!).
Lucinda was kind enough to share the recording of our conversation with me, and I want to share it with you. If you’ve been wondering if my Make Bad Art course is for you, you might find the answer here—for instance: whether you need to be an artist to make bad art, and if there’s a right way to make bad art (spoiler: no, and no). This conversation is short, but you’ll get a lot out of it.
Make Bad Art starts on November 4th (the day after this episode is being released), but it’s not too late to sign up, and we’d love to have you. All the details and signup info are here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:23 Kaizen-Muse coach helping creatives break perfectionism.
05:43 Realizing hidden perfectionism hinders creative projects.
09:05 Creating bad art frees creativity for good art.
10:54 Next class starts November 4; contact details provided.
14:03 Anti-perfectionism practice: Easier and fun in groups.
18:56 Need to relax and overcome perfectionism daily.
21:51 Join "Make Bad Art" starting November 4th.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
What happens when you make bad art? Sometimes you get really good art by accident! Here's a real-life story of a time when that happened to Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat, and why you should consider Making Bad Art yourself.
Source for this story.
Want to come Make Bad Art of your own, and lose perfectionism and harsh self-judgment in the process? Join us starting November 4, 2024! You don't have to be an artist, and you can't fail at bad art (unless you don't do it at all). I promise!
Four years ago, artist and art therapist Darcy Wade joined me to talk about her own journey with art and creativity, including how her discovery of expressive arts brought her back from a period of disconnection with her creative side and helped her recovery from addiction. Darcy has since moved from North Carolina to Colorado, where she’s now undertaking fundraising efforts to help folks back home in the wake of the destruction from Hurricane Helene. She talks to me about the history and artistic culture of Western North Carolina—particularly Asheville, but also the surrounding area; the creativity, ingenuity, and community that arises from crisis; her journey from North Carolina to Colorado; how awe and wonder elevate our lives, and more. You’ll find links to our previous conversation and Darcy’s fundraiser in the show notes, and I hope you’ll check them out.
If you missed my first conversation with Darcy in 2020, you can check it out here.
Full show notes, including photos of Darcy's beautiful art, can be found here.
Read this week's post, My Perfectionism Story, here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:18 Resigned dream job, faced challenges.
07:24 Art and creativity integral in daily life.
13:37 Art project raised $7,000 for North Carolina.
17:09 Stuck in Denver due to licensure requirements.
25:32 Artists help Asheville mountain communities with essentials.
31:25 Nature-based expressive arts; paused for now.
34:13 Pass exam for new job in youth.
39:12 Expressive arts therapy empowers diverse artistic expression.
44:54 Children's fresh perspectives inspire and move me.
48:37 Redefining "bad" art: Challenging traditional definitions.
56:00 Embrace sensitivity; curiosity fuels personal growth.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in visual arts.
I recently had a chance to get a very different perspective on something I dearly love doing—by not doing it. I thought it would be torture. I was wrong. I tell you what I discovered in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
My Make Bad Art course starts on November 4! Are you tired of contorting yourself to meet others’ expectations? Do you want to remember your own wild, imperfect self? And reclaim your curious, adventurous, creative genius inner kid?
Make Bad Art is the anti-MBA, a safe place to come unlearn all those things you're taught you have to have as an "adult" (stress, perfection, conformity) so you can reclaim the inner wild, curious, creative kid who's always been inside you--the one who knows how to play, invent, have fun, and live with abandon and joy. It's a playground for the liberation of your inner artist AND your authentic self, and the effects will go beyond the class container.
Check out all the details at https://fyc.quest/MBA
I hope you'll join us!
My guest this week is Dr. David Weill, the former director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program at Stanford University Medical Center. He’s currently the principal of the Weill Consulting Group, which focuses on improving the delivery of pulmonary, ICU, and transplant care. He’s also the author of the new novel, All That Really Matters, which follows his memoir, Exhale: Hope, Healing, and a Life in Transplant. David talks with me about how he made the shift from surgery into writing, how healthcare workers have historically been encouraged to deny the emotional reality of their work as a defense mechanism, and how that is finally shifting; the harsh and sometimes cruel realities of the transplant world; how fiction allows greater latitude in telling the truth about those realities; why transplant patients often like to go sky diving after their surgeries; and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:31 Transplant professional documented experiences, produced two books.
05:19 Hid emotions in career, later embraced vulnerability.
06:53 Health care work strains minds, career change needed.
12:14 Interesting emotional arc, unwise career decision impacts protagonist.
16:51 Medicine's learning curve: years of motivating terror.
18:01 Mentor's patient admiration influenced his demeanor.
22:32 Some should leave jobs earlier, unlike most.
26:47 Healthcare struggles balancing patient care and profitability.
29:34 Moral injury from value misalignment in healthcare.
31:57 Left clinical role; now consulting for solutions.
36:49 Saving young lives is my most memorable work.
40:27 Enjoyed writing fiction; eager to continue exploring.
42:31 Organ allocation ethics and financial incentives examined.
45:40 Talented, flawed protagonist falls and redeems self.
50:55 Next book explores questions of identity.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
In Western culture, we don't often think of creativity as something controlled, but the truth is, there's a place for chaos and control in our creative process. In this slightly-longer-than-usual pep talk, I give a couple examples of the push-pull of chaos and control, and how they can both be helpful—and detrimental—to our creative work, and why it's worth experimenting with a little more of one if you're used to working primarily with the other.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
I'm currently in the home stretch of putting together my upcoming Make Bad Art group program, which will be starting in about a month. Make Bad Art is the anti-MBA, a safe place to come unlearn all those things you're taught you have to have as an "adult" (stress, perfection, conformity) so you can reclaim the inner wild, curious, creative kid who's always been inside you±the one who knows how to play, invent, have fun, and live with abandon and joy. It's a playground for the liberation of your inner artist AND your authentic self, and the effects will go beyond the class container.
I'll be posting more very soon at my newsletter, The Spark, so subscribe to get the details as soon as they're available! We'd love to have you!
Paul Pape is an artist, designer, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the creative industry. He’s created thousands of personalized products for clients worldwide as well as companies such as Disney, Universal, and Nickelodeon. In recent years, he’s shifted to empowering creatives, companies and corporations, sharing his expertise and insights to help them embrace innovation, reverse the creativity crisis and make life and work FUN again. Paul talks with me about failure as something necessary to innovation—not something you did wrong; what we’ve learned from the pandemic, and what we’ve refused to learn; and the technological pandemic of boredom and doomscrolling, and what we can do to find inspiration outside of screens and devices (spoiler: it involves PLAY).
Read this week's post, "Letting Go and Finding Flow," here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:18 Intro to Paul's creative and educational journey.
06:21 Disillusioned artist seeks better opportunities after MFA.
11:25 Thrive on process and problem-solving, not outcomes.
18:44 Creativity crisis: Innovation decline due to pressure.
23:16 Ownership fosters pride and individuality in work.
26:53 Uninterrupted work and flexible schedule were beneficial.
35:38 Short-term thinking limits long-term business growth.
38:48 Engage audience; leave wanting them to play.
44:03 Focus on interests, continually learn, and yield.
48:00 Prioritizing profits over addressing boredom and technology.
55:31 Encourage creative play with devices over mindlessness.
58:38 Hope: Augmented reality enhances life's immediate engagement.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) AND SEE PAUL'S NERD WALL IN HIS PHOTO at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in education and theatre.
In August, I talked about reading War and Peace over the course of this year at a pace of roughly one chapter a day—the value of small steps in practice. Since then, I’ve noticed a little more about what happens to your project—and to you—when you take those consistent small steps, and I’m here to tell you about it in this short episode.
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
When you hear the words “children’s chorus,” you probably think of a pretty straightforward group of kids making music. If you’re in Wilmington, Delaware, you have good reason to think of a whole lot more. Wilmington Children’s Chorus Executive Director Lianna Magerr and Artistic Director Kimberly Doucette join me to talk about how they’ve gone beyond the rehearsal room to create an organization that reaches more than 500 kids in the Wilmington area, many from low-income neighborhoods, with the goal of empowering young people to change their world through music.
Read this week's post, "How to Stop Being Your Own Creative Enemy," here: https://fyc.quest/enemy
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Lianna's and Kimberly's creative background.
10:18 Lianna wanted to teach; followed passion through choir.
14:37 WCC evolves to meet ever-changing community needs.
17:55 Pioneered safe in-person singing during COVID-19.
27:35 COVID disrupted children's conflict resolution skill development.
31:13 Neighborhood choir program for underserved communities launched successfully.
39:02 Inclusive environment helps kids try new activities.
43:20 Early childhood music boosts development but requires resources.
47:40 Community centers essential for low-income neighborhoods.
51:15 Families support children's chorus through donations, trust.
59:56 Identify community needs and provide unique contributions.
01:01:56 Collaborative spirit and community connections in Wilmington.
01:06:52 Wilmington Children's Chorus 20th anniversary post-COVID concert
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in music.
This week’s talk is a look back to an episode from 2021. It’s a more lighthearted look at things that get in our way, riffing off a great story from Zander and Zander's book The Art of Possibility. Maybe you, too, would benefit from remembering Rule Number Six?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Gary Russell has done a bit of everything in media, from acting when he was young to writing fanzines to writing for Doctor Who Magazine to working for the BBC to co-founding Big Finish Productions, which produces a variety of audio dramas for various TV series including Doctor Who, The Prisoner, Dark Shadows, and more. Gary and I talk about his journey from one opportunity to the next as a “professional fan,” including how he’s made the decision both to take and to leave various positions, why he’s always run his life on instinct, and why he thinks it’s absolutely vital to be able to admit when you don’t know what you’re doing (even when it means baptism by fire), the value of freelancing—why he wouldn’t have it any other way—and a lot more. I really think you’ll get a lot out of my conversation with Gary Russell, even if you’ve never seen an episode of Doctor Who.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Early desire to be a stuntman leads to acting classes/jobs.
08:56 Other kids at school unimpressed by acting jobsl.
11:35 Switching out of acting.
20:34 People are conditioned not to admit ignorance.
26:28 Recognizing natural endings and embracing them rather than holding on too long.
29:40 Facing uncertainty.
33:30 Embrace new experiences, live a fulfilling life.
36:12 Doctor Who fanzines/freelancing lead to running Doctor Who Magazine.
46:23 Input from others shaped Gary’s core philosophy.
50:14 Warriors of the Deep: Script is good, but the execution is fatally flawed.
58:15 Ignore negativity, focus on what's important.
01:04:28 The birth of Big Finish Productions.
01:14:32 Moving to the BBC to work on Doctor Who.
01:23:37 Pension provides security, but Gary will never stop working.
01:27:24 Advice for anyone interested in freelancing.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when you took a leap of faith. If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who.
Simple, but not always easy: the key to progress or success is just to keep going. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Simon Haisell's year-long War and Peace read can be found here.
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Actor, activist, musician, and artist Michael Broussard joined me back in 2021 to talk about his one-man show, Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor, and what he’s learned about destigmatizing trauma abuse through art. A few months ago, he mentioned to me that he’s been focusing on pulling the rug out from under himself artistically. He’s back today to talk about just what that means and how it’s actually been influencing his work all along, and his upcoming game show project. We talk about game shows over the years, improv skills—that ability to accept and adapt in the moment—as integral to art and to life, how we are each an experiential filter for creativity, the importance of creativity as self-care, and more.
Get tickets for Michael's game show here. If you'd like to be a contestant, send 3 interesting things about yourself to michaelbroussardarts@gmail.com
Read this week's post: Mucking about in the creek, here.
Listen to Michael's earlier episode here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:11 Embracing surprises in performance adds excitement.
05:15 Creativity is influenced by internal and external factors.
10:32 Panelist embraces chaos, hosts semi-controlled game shows.
15:51 Influences shape individuality and creative process uniquely.
27:09 Repetition in performance can lead to boredom.
33:02 Understanding the challenge of listening and relating.
34:21 Benefits of good listening.
41:20 Improvisation and humor on the Match Game.
45:55 Zoom shows make audience feel ownership, enjoyment.
52:29 We're trained to be passive, but need agency.
57:40 Denying ourselves what we love limits life.
01:04:50 Art is subjective; worth exploring and learning.
01:07:29 Story inspired by Disney; teacher encouragement.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre.
Sometimes your creativity can be like a clogged pipe. I'll give you one way to keep it flowing in this short episode.
Sign up for one of this month's Unconventional Inspiration Circles here, and invite a friend!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Journalist Warren Berger, who has written for publications such as the New York Times, Wired magazine, and Fast Company, has a question for you. In fact, he has a lot. He’s literally written the book on questions (three of them, to be exact), and recently updated his book, A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION, for its tenth anniversary. Warren joins me to talk about why questions are important—even more important than answers. We get into why kids stop asking questions, just what a “beautiful” question is, how Google and AI have changed the way we question, why questions are better than advice, and more. And Warren has some suggestions for those who want to start asking better questions, too.
Episode breakdown and transcript will be added in a few days--sorry for the delay!
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Sometimes life, and the world around us, gets to be too much. I hereby give you permission to take a break when that happens.
Sign up for one of this month's Unconventional Inspiration Circles here, and invite a friend!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Judith Turner-Yamamoto, an award-winning author hailing from a mill town in rural North Carolina, began her writing journey as an art historian, learning to appraise and describe what moved her. Her debut novel LOVING THE DEAD AND GONE, a Mariel Hemingway Book Club pick, is the 2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medalist in Southern Regional Fiction and was shortlisted for the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize and awarded an honorable mention in General Fiction. Her writing assignments have taken her all over the world and include interviews with luminaries such as Frank Gehry, Annie Leibovitz, Marcel Wanders, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Judith talks with me about the importance of deciding who to listen to, how nothing is ever wasted, how revisiting your work over a period of decades brings new perspective to it, and more—we may even have figured out why some people are predisposed to be plotters and some fly by the seat of their pants. There’s a lot of wisdom here for writers in particular, but it certainly applies in other fields as well.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:10 Library books became salvation in my youth.
09:07 Analyzing art criticism and photography exhibition experiences.
10:48 Curated exhibitions, managed processes, positioned for director.
14:08 Psychic's advice led to successful PR career.
20:09 Structured writing involves quoting experts, evoking places.
23:03 Discovery: Plotters focus on plot, pantsers on journey.
25:35 Friend writes crime mystery, minimal world-building, character depth.
30:12 Patience in revising manuscript based on feedback.
33:12 New York Times: essential for writing inspiration.
35:23 Grieving and death shape personal and literary journey.
38:38 Reading challenge due to overthinking and editing.
43:10 Being selective and positive to avoid negativity.
44:49 Editor resists removing crucial elements from book.
47:50 Endure publishing industry rejection, stay true. Successful.
50:34 Praise for a book with unresolved plot.
55:14 Striving for perfection in book pitching process.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
A lot of creative work happens in solitude, but it doesn't have to be that way. Community can be one of your greatest creative tools--I explain why in this short episode, and issue an invitation as well!
Sign up for one of this month's Creative Community sessions here, and invite a friend!
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
My guest this week is Steve Cole, a bestselling children’s author of more than 200 books. Those books cover many styles and children’s genres, with titles including the Astrosaurs and Young Bond ranges, Go to Sleep or I Let Loose the Leopard, and most recently, Drowning in my Bedroom. Steve is also the creative consultant for BBC Books' Doctor Who list, as well as project editing and writing titles. Steve and I talk about how TV influenced him as a child, beginning his career in editing, how he moved into writing—and how his editing background influences his writing—and more.
Read this week's post, The World is Your Creative Fuel, here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
01:56 Creative child, loved words, invented imaginative worlds.
05:24 Teacher encouraged imaginative storytelling.
07:39 Writing became unexpected career path.
10:43 Fascination with Incredible Hulk, from production to details.
15:05 Influential writer Enid Blyton's office and typewriter.
16:59 Published short poems on aliens in space.
22:35 Manage 22 novels, videos, audios, and more for BBC Doctor Who range.
25:18 Transitioned from editing to writing children's books.
29:53 Managing editor at Ladybird, facing challenges.
32:13 Writing books on various popular children's shows.
36:48 Pitch: "Star Trek with dinosaurs. Instant publisher interest."
40:21 Authors be clever, editors be wise.
41:57 Juggling edits for US and UK publishers.
47:38 Doctor Who authors now pursue other endeavors.
50:06 Editing for renowned authors was thrilling and intimidating.
Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who and writing.
Too often, in our creative lives (and everywhere else), we think we have to go it alone. It's okay, though, to ask for help, and I tell you why in this short episode.
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Read this week's post: Get in Trouble
If you'd like to:* Engage with your creative dreams with ease and joy * Feel both more confident in yourself and your work, and more vibrant than you have in years * Take time each day to do the things that light you up * Feel the freedom of following your own inner guidance and the delight that comes with creative activity
Book a free 30-minute coaching call with me! Here's what we'll do:
- You'll tell me about your creative dreams
- We'll look at what's getting in the way
- If you're someone I can help, and we both want to...
- ...I'll share more about the Reignite Your Creative Spark program
My guest this week is Simon Guerrier, a writer and producer who has written numerous books related to Doctor Who, produced five documentaries for BBC radio, and more than 70 audio plays for Big Finish Productions, as well as comics and short stories. He also chairs the Books Committee for the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Simon talks with me about how he got his start in writing and producing—including just what a producer does—the value of negotiating arrangements that work in everyone’s best interest, the impact of new tools like ChatGPT on creative careers and the creative process, his new book about television pioneer David Whitaker, and more.
Read this week's article, on what Ella Fitzgerald can teach us on rolling with what life hands us, here.
Want to Reignite Your Creative Spark? Contact me here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
08:07 Simon arrived at university alone, connected with English tutor, talked sci-fi.
13:37 Received unexpected validation, leading to pursuing Doctor Who novel submission.
19:18 Advert to management led to diverse projects.
24:36 Producers oversee production, manage money, and ensure payments.
28:44 Beryl Vertue valued fair, lasting relationships over winning in negotiation.
37:09 AI has many uses, but may miss the point of creativity.
43:45 Negative atmosphere on Twitter overwhelms real conversations and connections.
49:49 Connecting with people on Twitter leads to opportunities and potential.
51:14 Choosing joy and creativity over anger and self-doubt.
01:00:41 Teaching and learning through doing and mentoring entry-level positions.
01:05:28 Fascination with AI in science fiction and cautionary tales.
01:08:25 Following the threads of the freelance life.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who and writing.
This is one of the simplest tips, but one of the hardest to do, with ourselves most of all. Here's why we should give it a try anyway.
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Read this week's post: Get in Trouble
If you'd like to:* Engage with your creative dreams with ease and joy * Feel both more confident in yourself and your work, and more vibrant than you have in years * Take time each day to do the things that light you up * Feel the freedom of following your own inner guidance and the delight that comes with creative activity
Book a free 30-minute coaching call with me! Here's what we'll do:
- You'll tell me about your creative dreams
- We'll look at what's getting in the way
- If you're someone I can help, and we both want to...
- ...I'll share more about the Reignite Your Creative Spark program
My guest this week is Dominic Glynn, a prolific composer for film and television. Dominic got his start working on Doctor Who, and has provided music for titles as diverse as Red Dwarf and The Simpsons. Dominic tells me how his career began in the mid-80s as a self-taught musician, how incidental music works, what it’s like to write for an orchestra, and more.
Read this week's article, on why you should make bad art, here.
Want to Reignite Your Creative Spark? Contact me here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction.
04:55 Member of band transitioned to solo career.
06:25 In the 80s, got obsessed with affordable synthesizers.
10:22 Confidently sought job with Doctor Who in 1984.
13:24 Affordable technology enabled music production from home.
18:27 Editing music reel with time-coded leader tape.
22:00 Working on music synchronization for VHS episodes.
24:50 Luck played a part in minimal changes.
27:40 Excessive music in TV/films can ruin impact.
30:31 Music can enhance storytelling in low-budget productions.
32:41 Cartoon character's appearance affected by budget constraints.
35:50 Electronic music lover disappointed in orchestral shift.
41:31 Doctor Who's evolution from theater to cinema.
44:00 Creating music similar to popular soundtracks for music libraries.
45:29 Unexpectedly finding music in beloved TV shows.
51:06 Creating music that emulates the 50s-60s hits.
54:24 Composer entrusts scoring to orchestra, marvels at musicians' skill.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who and music.
Last month, I invited you to give yourself Permission to Play. I had so much fun meeting some of you, and seeing what came out of those workshops, that I've decided to keep doing them.
This month, I'm inviting you to get together with me to Make Bad Art. I know that sounds backwards, maybe even crazy, but I promise there's a method to my madness!
In two minutes, I'm letting you behind the curtain on this "backwards" idea, and if that's not enough to convince you, you can read more about the power of making bad art here.
Give yourself this powerful gift by joining us on Sunday, June 9 at 1pm New York time here. Or join us on Saturday, June 15 at 4pm New York time here. It's totally free, and you're welcome to bring a friend if you like (just have them register, too, so I have an accurate head count)! If you have any questions, please get in touch!
See you there!
Every last one of us got through school, and probably work, by knowing the answers most—if not all—of the time. Is that actually necessary? NOPE. And it can even hinder your creative process. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Read this week's post: What tech has taken from us, and how to get it back.
If you'd like to:* Engage with your creative dreams with ease and joy * Feel both more confident in yourself and your work, and more vibrant than you have in years * Take time each day to do the things that light you up * Feel the freedom of following your own inner guidance and the delight that comes with creative activity
Book a free 30-minute coaching call with me! Here's what we'll do:
- You'll tell me about your creative dreams
- We'll look at what's getting in the way
- If you're someone I can help, and we both want to...
- ...I'll share more about the Reignite Your Creative Spark program
Ellen Kaplan is an actress, writer, and director, and professor emerita of acting and directing at Smith College. She performs and directs internationally, in places like Pakistan, China, Israel, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, and she recently edited the new book Theater Responds to Social Trauma: Chasing the Demons. Ellen joins me to talk about her work in and out of the classroom, dealing with “the shoulds,” how easy it is to get in our own way, why we are each a culture unto ourselves, what we’ve each learned from our students, and more.
Read this week's article, on how Apple accidentally told the truth about technology and creativity, here.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
03:15 Self-discovery through teaching experiences
08:42 Importance of humility, listening, and respect
12:27 Cultural differences observed while teaching ESL
18:15 Embracing individuality in students
22:30 Influence of "should" on decision-making
28:05 Pressure of being an expert vs. staying open to learning
34:14 Value of revision in the creative process
38:50 Saying yes in improv and life
44:35 Creating healing spaces through storytelling
48:52 Career serendipity and intrinsic experiences
54:18 Commodification's impact on creativity
58:23 Kitsugi and the beauty of imperfections
01:03:41 Ellen's work in conflict zones and peace efforts
01:09:56 Improvisational recalculating of identity and work
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when you got in your own way.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre.
We're all told that we have to finish the things we start. But is that true? NOPE. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Read this week's post: What tech has taken from us, and how to get it back.
If you'd like to:* Engage with your creative dreams with ease and joy * Feel both more confident in yourself and your work, and more vibrant than you have in years * Take time each day to do the things that light you up * Feel the freedom of following your own inner guidance and the delight that comes with creative activity
Book a free 30-minute coaching call with me! Here's what we'll do:
- You'll tell me about your creative dreams
- We'll look at what's getting in the way
- If you're someone I can help, and we both want to...
- ...I'll share more about the Reignite Your Creative Spark program
I've been under the weather, so here's an interview worth revisiting. I'll be back next time with a brand-new conversation!
Author Rahna Reiko Rizzuto wrote the way many of us do as a child and teen, but didn’t truly turn to writing until she discovered, at the age of 30, that her Japanese-American mother, and her family, had been stripped of everything and put in an internment camp during World War II. The book she produced in her quest to understand these events, Why She Left Us, won the National Book Award. Her two subsequent books, Hiroshima in the Morning and Shadow Child, continue to explore themes of war, race, and historical blindness. Reiko also teaches writing; we met when she became my first faculty advisor in the Goddard College MFA program in 2007. We talk about Reiko’s start as a writer, including that pivotal discovery and the quest to learn more, her time in Japan just before and after 9/11 as she sought to learn from survivors of the Hiroshima bombing—and how 9/11 changed their willingness to speak—and how she taught herself to write and teaches her students those same techniques.
Episode breakdown:
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:02:45] Family of writers encouraged reading, faced criticism.
[00:10:50] Multiracial Hawaiian culture with loose boundaries.
[00:15:19] Uncovering the family's history in the Japanese internment.
[00:23:33] Discovering the art of crafting a book.
[00:28:33] Learning from students' questions.
[00:37:37] Writing to convey human consequences of historical events.
[00:40:32] Nonfiction book about survivors of atomic bomb.
[00:48:58] Passion for teaching and nurturing writers' stories.
[00:56:07] Best job, supportive colleagues, successful publication.
[01:03:09] Caregiving, love, loss, hoarding: a personal journey.
[01:06:48] Open the portal, practice showing up.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about how discovering a part of your history changed you.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Threads and BlueSky!
If you'd like weekly updates, plus a chance to see where my curiosity is leading me, check out my new (free!) Substack newsletter.
When was the last time you let yourself play? Why are you holding yourself back?
In less than four minutes, I'm sharing the biggest creative problem I see in the world, why it's so damn heartbreaking, and why I want to help you bust out of it--for free. (Hint: it's also a big part of why I started this podcast.)
Give yourself permission to play on May 5 here. Or join us on May 11 here. It's totally free, and you're welcome to bring a friend if you like (just have them register, too, so I have an accurate head count)!
See you there!
It's so easy to keep doing the same thing, or even to actively avoid taking the unknown path. The courageous option is usually the one with the bigger payoff, though. I look at the difference in this short episode.
Join me for a free "Permission to Play" workshop on May 5, 2024 (repeated on May 11, 2024) at 1pm eastern! It’s easy for adults to forget that it’s okay to play, and that lack of play can keep us stuck! Join us for approximately 90 minutes so you can reconnect with your playful inner kid and feel your creative energy flowing again.
Register: May 5 or May 11
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Read this week's poem, which is called One Step.
Domenic Sciortino is a creative powerhouse. By day, he’s a barber. Much of the rest of the time, he’s an artist, musician, and now, a talent buyer for a local entertainment venue in Pennsylvania. Dom was one of my first guests on the podcast, and I’m thrilled to have him back to talk about the intersection of art and commerce, with stops at creative courage (specifically, the courage to fail in and with a crowd), why you should always aim to please yourself first with your creative work (even if you want to sell it), the effects of ignoring our creative call, and just what happens behind the scenes of the performing arts—especially on the money side.
If you missed Domenic's first episode, give it a listen!
Read this week's article, which is a longer look at the potential perils of combining art and commerce. Check out my piece on lapsed creatives, too!
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
1:04 Creating art in various forms, sometimes successful.
08:29 Billy Joel forgets lyrics, crowd sings instead.
11:23 Sudden insight into creative life force experience.
16:42 Passion leads to happiness and less spending.
24:28 Robots creating art due to cheaper labor.
31:19 Promo highlights importance of arts education.
37:08 Artists deserve better pay and more transparency.
40:05 National touring artist fees are usually non-negotiable.
43:22 Wilco: Warner pushed Americana band, Tweedy went ambient.
50:27 Scarcity and marketing.
53:56 Existence and purpose: the struggle is worthwhile.
59:26 Don't judge yourself by professional standards.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about your experience with art and commerce.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in music and visual arts.
One of the hardest things to do when we've created something is to leave room for other people to see it through their own lens. I share some thoughts on why it's a good idea to step back, and how to know which opinions are worth listening to, in this short episode.
Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Read this week's article, which is on Failure and Regret.
On January 3, 2019, I took a huge leap and launched the Follow Your Curiosity podcast. Five years later, to no one’s amazement as much as mine, I’m still going strong. I wanted to look back at what I’ve learned since 2019, so I asked my friend Domenic Sciortino, who interviewed me back then, to come back and do it again. Together, we look at how the show got started, what initially gave me the idea for a podcast, what curiosity is, who my “dream guest” might be, why you should start where you are, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Amazed by 5-year podcast journey, started spontaneously.
06:34 Audio editing discovery: listen while doing tasks.
08:19 Podcasting with a full-time job.
12:41 To run ads, or not to run ads?
15:37 Curiosity is asking questions, being connected, wanting to know more.
19:51 Prepare questions but have a natural conversation.
20:56 Explore unexpected places in conversation, be flexible.
27:02 Embracing uncertainty.
29:36 Sometimes things just fall into place.
32:13 Go-to interview example of the podcast.
36:33 Emphasis on untold stories, expanding podcast.
38:02 Creating 1 on 1 program to reconnect creatively.
42:21 How a story about Sam Neill led to the podcast idea.
45:04 Choosing authenticity over conforming to others' expectations.
47:44 Overcoming doubts, starting small leads to success.
I really would love to hear from you! The easiest way is to connect on Substack, but you can also drop me a note here, or on Instagram, Twitter, or BlueSky.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when you took a leap to try something new.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
What happens when we let our creativity lapse? You may think there's no effect on us, but you'd be wrong. I explain in this short episode.
Read my article on lapsed creativity here. If you recognize yourself here, I'd love to hear your story and learn from your experience. If you can spare 30 minutes, contact me and we'll set something up!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a creative dream of yours.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months. https://fycuriosity.substack.com
Raquel Drosos started writing when she was five, and has rarely stopped. As a teenager, she wrote and published three young adult novels under her maiden name, Raquel George. Games of Chance is her first book for adults. She also blogs about parenting and the creative process. Raquel talks with me about the intersection between acting and writing, plotting vs. writing by the seat of your pants, the moment when your characters come to life in your head (which is not a sign of madness!), her next novel, and more. She also shares some excellent advice she got from her dad.
Episode breakdown:
0:00 Intro
01:09 Parents not artists, but innately creative and supportive.
06:02 Writer surprised by interpretation of their play.
09:55 Supportive parents, writing struggles, novel characters reused.
15:38 Mix of planning and spontaneity in writing.
17:20 Two types of writers: plotters and pantsers.
23:09 Feeding creativity through exposure to art and music.
25:14 Observing people, sparking curiosity, fostering creativity.
27:14 3-year-old nephew's wild story about alligators.
33:00 Characters connect through accents, interviews essential for authenticity.
34:10 The sound of words matters to writing.
40:08 Intense family saga vs. immediate relationship novel.
42:54 Encouraged writer spans genres and age groups.
45:13 Describing book as mix of others important.
48:18 Novel: Parenthood, love, creativity, friendship, humor, advice.
51:51 Jotting down scenes and dialogue, then dedicated.
54:56 Character decides to go left, not right.
58:10 Trust your gut and follow your instincts.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a moment when your creative work came to life for you.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
It's easy to think of "normal" as an insult, or at least not something to aspire to. You might want to rethink your perceptions of normal, though. I explain why in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us how you embrace normal.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
Alex Poppe decided when she was in her 20s to leave her corporate job and become an actor, with no acting experience at all. After acting for 12 years, she followed her travel instincts, becoming certified to teach English overseas and moving to multiple countries, including Iraq, to pursue teaching and humanitarian work, and writing. Alex is the author of four works of fiction: Duende, Jinwar and Other Stories, Moxie, and Girl, World. Her writing has won numerous awards, including the International Book Award, Reader’s Choice Book Award, and a 35 over 35 Debut Book Award. Alex tells me about her decision to become an actor, how she made the move into teaching abroad—and what she’s learned from both experiences—how her time abroad has influenced her writing, and more.
Episode breakdown:
05:28 16 years teaching, actor training influences writing.
09:55 Networking in theater leads to humanitarian aid.
15:13 Teaching experiences in Middle East were heartfelt.
17:59 Studied and worked in Erbil and Germany.
21:55 Children witnessing war, finding innocence amid turmoil.
25:40 Homesickness, friendships, and social pressures at boarding school.
32:42 Shocked friend describes disturbing bar experience.
33:30 A shocking experience inspired her book writing.
37:14 Returned to the States, started writing in 2010.
41:49 Lyrical book with dense language.
47:30 Exploring character, tone, and emotion in writing.
51:56 Navigating uncertainty in creative process with flexibility.
55:33 Book inspired by old photo, friendship celebration.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when you took a risk.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
I've been under the weather, so here's a pep talk worth revisiting: If you're not doing what you want to do because you think you're not ready or don't have what you need, might I very gently and lovingly suggest that you're wrong?
I'll be back next time with something new! :)
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review and in it, let us know what YOU are starting, from right where you are!
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
My guest this week is Kerry Malawista, a psychoanalyst and writer who uses writing to heal. She’s the co-director of the New Directions in Writing project, which offers programs in writing from a psychological perspective. Her publication credits include the Washington Post, New York Times, and Delmarva Review, which nominated her for a Pushcart Prize. Her first novel, Meet the Moon, focuses on a young teen after the loss of her mother. Kerry talks with me about how she came to writing later in life, creating a writing program—The Things They Carry Project—to help healthcare workers cope with the pandemic, how she turned her own story of loss into a novel, how we perceive memory and truth, and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Parents' encouragement led to unexpected creativity.
04:40 First published piece inspired by Costa Rica trip.
09:33 Overcame challenges, found success, inspired others.
12:09 Email testimonials show positive impact on frontline workers.
15:57 Led groups for teachers, immigrants, college-bound youth.
20:32 Reading shapes perception and understanding of truth.
22:59 Realization of an impossible event from memory.
24:34 Using writing to process powerful personal experiences.
30:25 Struggling writer finds inspiration to use imagination.
32:17 Fiction captures therapist's view on loss and resilience.
34:58 Conveying ideas in a novel can be challenging.
38:48 Memoir vs novel: finding the right structure.
43:39 Humorous movie turns into husband's choking ordeal.
47:07 Effective writing balances trauma with humor.
50:29 Use all 5 senses to describe experiences.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us how you deal with feedback.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Do you give yourself credit for your creativity? A lot of us don't, including people you wouldn't expect. You really should recognize your own creativity regularly—I'll explain why in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us how you recognize your creativity—or how you'd like to.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
Kevin Carey came to writing and filmmaking later in his career, but has wasted no time producing a wide range of poetry, fiction, and documentaries, including a crime novel, Murder in the Marsh, and a middle grade novel, Junior Miles and the Junkman. He’s also the coordinator of creative writing at Salem State University in Massachusetts, where he teaches intro and upper level creative writing courses. Kevin tells me how he got his start with writing, how his MFA experience changed both his writing and the opportunities available to him, the importance of reading your work to others, and much more.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Stranger's grief sparked passion for poetry teaching.
08:53 Transitioning from poetry to fiction writing journey.
14:54 Drawing inspiration from hometown for crime novel.
21:40 Deciding not to work with an agent.
26:12 Friend's art gallery led to film business.
28:03 Close friendships and passion in documentary filmmaking.
35:28 Writers struggle to let go of perfection.
40:09 Encouraging honest feedback, experimenting, and releasing pressure.
45:38 Successful writers helping and inspiring young writers.
50:19 Diverse students in writing classes seek guidance.
58:42 MFA program: discovering joy in completing novels.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us how you deal with feedback.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
It sounds so simple, but we hardly ever let ourselves be happy, especially with our work. Why is that a problem? I explain in this super short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you let yourself be happy.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
Tim Myers does a bit of everything: he’s a writer, songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University, where he teaches writing. We got together to talk about the nature of creativity, which Tim calls a “sacred mystery,” including everything from the way our childhood creativity is changed by the culture as we become adults, the necessary role of play in the creative process, the transcendent experiences of awe and wonder and how they fuel us, the wisdom of following your gut, and a whole lot more.
Episode breakdown:
01:39 Kids are instantly creative, often play traditionally.
06:50 Creativity influenced by nature, nurture, educators.
15:50 Importance of creativity in education and society.
21:22 Differences between play in childhood versus "professional" adults.
24:56 Nancy switched to teaching, advisor, and writing lit mag.
30:49 Encouraging exploration of language and creative thinking.
37:04 Parents see child, lifetime of giving love.
40:35 Zen story about finding wonder in life.
45:27 Believing in progress through challenging circumstances.
50:34 Art, festivals, play as a primal need.
56:21 Semantic split between "religion" and "spirituality."
01:01:14 Falling in love based on unique personal idiosyncrasies.
01:07:23 Experimenting with writing schedule structure.
01:13:45 Craft is in choosing words for impact.
01:19:22 Writers and feedback.
01:25:00 Tim struggles with generalist vs specialist identity.
01:26:31 Passion for storytelling and visual art emerges.
01:35:38 Weekly writing schedule reduces overthinking and focus on perfection.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us how play influences your creative process.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Folks who consider themselves creative often have a REALLY hard time with structure, but it can be one of your best allies. I explain why in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when structure helped you.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
Marc Kaye calls himself a “restless creative”—a musician, writer, and comedian who loves to tell stories and make people laugh. He also, through his company, VitalConex, uses those skills to help develop the vital connections needed for focused, united teams and creative problem solving. Marc tells me how—and why—he took the leap into stand-up, how his comedy and his writing skills have influenced each other, and how he takes both of those, and his business partner’s therapy background, and creates programs to help teams create a sense of psychological safety that lets them do difficult work from a place of greater unity.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Childhood creativity shapes lifelong passion for creation.
05:37 Piano, writing, science, marketing, stand-up comedy.
07:49 Email to Gary Goldman about Last Comic Standing.
11:48 Got hooked on comedy, performed sporadically. Kids grew.
15:32 Song critique circle provides valuable but diverse feedback.
18:26 Improving character portrayal in writing and comedy.
21:41 An exercise in making unexpected connections.
23:45 Comedy, improv, and creativity in storytelling.
27:23 Adults miss suspending belief in harmless ways.
31:03 Comedy clubs are a past entertainment trend.
34:24 Challenges with DEI initiatives and team building.
36:42 Avoiding the “consultant” label
40:33 Using humor to build real interpersonal connections.
43:12 Identifying strengths and weaknesses through team activity.
46:24 Human experience involves shared emotions and perspectives.
52:26 Humor is crucial in navigating change.
54:38 Finding humor in life is a superpower.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when humor made something easier for you. If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and theatre.
Setting resolutions can be a recipe for disappointment—or, if you've set appropriate expectations, a recipe for success. I explain the difference in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when lowered expectations made a difference.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
Gary Russell has done a bit of everything in media, from acting when he was young to writing fanzines to writing for Doctor Who Magazine to working for the BBC to co-founding Big Finish Productions, which produces a variety of audio dramas for various TV series including Doctor Who, The Prisoner, Dark Shadows, and more. Gary and I talk about his journey from one opportunity to the next as a “professional fan,” including how he’s made the decision both to take and to leave various positions, why he’s always run his life on instinct, and why he thinks it’s absolutely vital to be able to admit when you don’t know what you’re doing (even when it means baptism by fire), the value of freelancing—why he wouldn’t have it any other way—and a lot more. I really think you’ll get a lot out of my conversation with Gary Russell, even if you’ve never seen an episode of Doctor Who.
Episode breakdown:
00:00 Early desire to be a stuntman leads to acting classes/jobs.
08:56 Other kids at school unimpressed by acting jobsl.
11:35 Switching out of acting.
20:34 People are conditioned not to admit ignorance.
26:28 Recognizing natural endings and embracing them rather than holding on too long.
29:40 Facing uncertainty.
33:30 Embrace new experiences, live a fulfilling life.
36:12 Doctor Who fanzines/freelancing lead to running Doctor Who Magazine.
46:23 Input from others shaped Gary’s core philosophy.
50:14 Warriors of the Deep: Script is good, but the execution is fatally flawed.
58:15 Ignore negativity, focus on what's important.
01:04:28 The birth of Big Finish Productions.
01:14:32 Moving to the BBC to work on Doctor Who.
01:23:37 Pension provides security, but Gary will never stop working.
01:27:24 Advice for anyone interested in freelancing.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when you took a leap of faith. If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who.
Our last replay of the year focuses on my favorite random discovery about an amazing actor. It’s short, and worth listening to again.
What can a simple choice from actor David Tennant tell us about creative freedom? I'll tell you in this short episode.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about how you might stop taking things so seriously.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on BlueSky!
Happy holidays, everyone! I'm thrilled to present my second holiday replay of the year, which was easily one of my favorite interviews of 2023, if not my very favorite. It's a perfect story for the holidays, reminding us that there's room for redemption in all of us. Enjoy!
My guest today is Kate Powers, a lifelong theatre kid who became an off-Broadway and regional theatre director. Her list of credits is long, but I wanted to talk to Kate about the unusual home she’s found for her work: maximum security prisons. Kate is the founding artistic director of the Redeeming Time Project, which uses Shakespeare to effect positive change for the incarcerated and the formerly incarcerated. She has been a facilitator with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (www.rta-arts.org) at Sing Sing Correctional Facility since 2009.
Kate tells me how she discovered this work, how she runs her program, and the transformative effect of combining Shakespeare—famous for his depictions of all facets of human nature—with a prison population. I’m not gonna lie to you—I had goosebumps for most of this interview, and I think you might, too. If you do, I hope you’ll consider donating to help these programs transform lives—you’ll find a list of links in the show notes.
Please leave a review of the show, and in it, tell us about a time when theater transformed a part of your life.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre!
Join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
It seems like the simplest, most obvious thing, but the fact is, we don't always listen. Changing that could change your life. I'll tell you more in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when listening made a difference.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
Serial podcaster Jesse Jackson hosts shows on topics from Doctor Who to Babylon 5 to John Hiatt to Bruce Springsteen. I met Jesse when I appeared on his show, Set Lusting Bruce, where instead of Springsteen, I talked about my deep affection for the Norwegian band a-Ha. I wanted to hear about Jesse’s creative adventures in both fandom and podcasting, and we talk about why you should stop thinking about trying something new and just do it, what we’ve learned from our podcast experiences, and why everyone has a story that deserves to be heard. And there might be a little dishing about Doctor Who in the mix, too.
Episode breakdown:
06:54 Reading as a safe place, friendship, discovery, transition to e-books.
14:07 Nostalgia for old Doctor Who novel experiences.
16:07 All access streaming vs. the element of surprise.
24:39 Jesse’s podcast explores music and creativity, over 1000 episodes.
26:23 Embrace starting something new, let it unfold.
32:51 Prepping podcast guests.
38:21 2015 film "Springsteen and I" inspired Jesse’s podcast.
44:00 Jesse encourages listeners to hear Sarah Gregory’s story.
51:27 Ups and downs of responding to feedback.
57:14 Trying new things is okay, even if difficult.
01:01:28 Follow your own creative voice, seek feedback.
01:08:25 Podcasting Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us how about a time when starting a new creative endeavor made a difference in your life.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in music and Doctor Who.
Nothing in life is actually straightforward, including your creative process. I explain in this super-short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you were grateful for a detour.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
As you may know, every year I offer two episode replays over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. These are always two of my favorite interviews from the year—conversations that stuck with me and are worth a second listen (though, in honesty, they're all worth a second listen!).
This year, Thanksgiving in the US falls on November 23, 2023—60 years to the day since the premiere of Doctor Who. What could be more fitting, then, than to revisit my conversation with Peter Davison, who played the Fifth Doctor and brought us one of the most beloved Doctor Who anniversary specials of all time ten years ago?
I hope you enjoy the episode!
I’m absolutely thrilled to be talking this week with actor Peter Davison, star of All Creatures Great and Small, Doctor Who, At Home with the Braithwaites, West End musicals like Spamalot and Gypsy, and much more. He’s also the author of a delightful memoir, Is There Life Outside the Box: An Actor Despairs, and Doctor Who fans also know him as the creator of the 50th anniversary special, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. Peter talks with me about many of those things, plus how he came to write his book, the "rise of the nerds," and more.
Episode breakdown:
00:01:10 Childhood creativity, music, becoming an actor.
00:10:08 Taking on Doctor Who, and being unsure how to approach the character.
00:17:03 Doctor Who, and playing unpleasant characters well.
00:24:54 All Creatures Great and Small and the lessons learned from Robert Hardy.
00:35:18 Actors fear of being replaced, and the difference between US and UK actors.
00:42:13 Acting as the best job.
00:50:28 Writing his memoir.
00:55:34 The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.
01:03:07 Doctor Who fandom and the "rise of the nerd."
Please leave a review and in it, tell us your favorite Doctor Who experience or memory.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and Doctor Who.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com (I have some really cool extras over there for you!)and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Comparison and self-improvement are great ways to reject yourself. I explain why—and what to do instead—in this short episode.
Read the post from Dr. Kelly Flanagan that inspired this pep talk.
My previous pep talk on comparison and self-rejection.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when self-acceptance made life easier.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
What’s it like to doubt the beliefs of the strict religious community you grew up with? What’s it like to leave? Where do you find the courage and strength to make that choice, and to adapt to your new life? Director Scott Homan and writer and musician Ryan Sutter have lived these questions, and collaborated to tell the story in the new documentary, Witness Underground. The film focuses on Ryan’s love of music and the musical relationships within the Jehovah’s Witness community that sustained him as a teen and gave him a safe place to land when he left. We talk about all these questions and the process of making the film, which is now running a Kickstarter to fund distribution to popular streaming services.
Episode breakdown:
[00:05:16] Scott: Wisconsin arts program shaped career in film.
[00:10:19] Change your environment for personal growth.
[00:14:10] Ryan: Creative kids form band with makeshift instruments.
[00:17:39] Creativity and emotional release through music.
[00:26:17] Other connections transcended religion, influencing change.
[00:30:07] Scott reconnects with Ryan.
[00:32:56] Ryan's wrestling with beliefs through writing, recording music, and live performance = enhanced creative thinking.
[00:40:22] How authoritarian regimes suppress artists.
[00:44:37] "Coming out."
[00:50:51] Seeing life through Ryan's eyes.
[00:57:20] Amazing connection to music; influential, undiscovered collection.
[01:03:08] Ryan: Therapy, new albums, and a goal: move on and heal.
[01:09:26] Music connects people in amazing ways.
[01:15:05] Scott: Filmmaker's struggle with distribution, potential exploitation.
[01:19:24] Kickstarter campaign funding distribution of the film, which has amazing perks including music and written work.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us how your creativity has given you strength when you’ve needed it most.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in music.
The Rolling Stones have a new album, and Mick Jagger has some great creative advice for us all. I explain in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
You can read the interview with Mick Jagger here.
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months. https://fycuriosity.substack.com
Director, animator, and author Kevin Jon Davies grew up enthralled by Doctor Who and Spike Milligan’s The Goon Show. When he discovered the original Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio show, it seemed like the best of both worlds. Before long, he was doing animation for the TV series. Kevin tells me how he got into animation, how he moved from animation into directing—including directing 30th anniversary documentaries for both Doctor Who and Hitchhiker’s in the same year—and all about the process of writing his new book, 42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams.
Episode breakdown:
[00:07:22] Learning to direct through osmosis on set. Enjoyed being with others in live action. Lucky breaks in animation and directing.
[00:14:58] Early Doctor Who, Spike Milligan's comedy influence.
[00:17:53] Douglas Adams: famous for procrastinating.
[00:24:42] Making 30 Years in the TARDIS.
[00:28:48] The BBC's unfortunate habit of throwing things away.
[00:32:32] The Alchemists of Sound documentary and unsung genius Delia Derbyshire.
[00:39:20] Complex copyright issues for BBC staff artists.
[00:43:06] Following in Douglas Adams's footsteps while researching the new book.
[00:50:31] Adams's an increasing interest in science toward the end of his life.
[00:55:48] Last Chance to See.
[01:03:02] Adams's untimely death, and the continued celebration of his work.
[01:08:05] Readers' sense of connection with Adams's work.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us how a childhood influence has stuck with you.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing and Doctor Who.
We don't talk about it much in creative circles, but it's really important to know when and why to let go of your creative work. I'll tell you more in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.
My guest today is Hilary Hattenbach, a freelance writer based in LA. Hilary majored in magazine journalism but ended up working in entertainment marketing for studios like Disney and 20th Century Fox before a chance meeting in a bakery led her to do-author The Kitchen Decoded Cookbook. Hilary tells me about that meeting and the cookbook that resulted, why being in an “artistic adjacent” field didn’t work for her, and how she began working as a freelance writer instead. She also has some great insight and advice into how working with editors as a freelancer really works—some of which might surprise you—and the pros and cons of writing for others vs. writing on your own platform, like Substack.
Episode breakdown:
[00:08:10] Storyteller at heart, not traditional career writer.
[00:13:03] Family death prompted job switch.
[00:18:03] Consulting, marketing, and a surprise cookbook
[00:23:50] Agent vanished; publisher wants book decision.
[00:26:34] Be transparent about money in publishing; people often think authors make (much) more than they do.
[00:35:00] The discomfort of uncertainty hinders our progress.
[00:43:04] Questioning assumptions, discovering new possibilities, embracing change.
[00:49:56] Writing workshops and mentor leads to publishing as a freelancer.
[00:53:08] Essay collection explores impact of friendships with older adults.
[01:01:16] Old Hollywood and a piece on the retirement home for actors and industry insiders.
[01:04:15] Interviews cut, piece rewritten by someone else.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Threads and BlueSky!
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about how a surprise connection changed your life.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing.
If you'd like weekly updates, plus a chance to see where my curiosity is leading me, check out my new (free!) Substack newsletter.
You need a strong NO in order to have a strong YES in any part of your life, including your creative process. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when saying no made a difference.
I'm experimenting with my own writing over on Substack! It's called The Spark, it's free, and I hope you'll join us!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on Threads!
Romana Hasenöhrl has traveled all over the world and is the author of several books, including two novels, the second of which is currently in progress. She also coaches writers, who call her "Romana Rocks," and is an astrologer. Romana joins me to talk about how travel has influenced her writing process and her creativity, how astrology is a useful tool to see ourselves in a new light (and to see our characters more completely, too), the biggest advice she gives anyone starting a writing project, and more.
Episode breakdown:
[00:04:57] An early story on airline differences was rejected.
[00:09:07] Driving a cab in Austria was lucrative, allowing for travel in Europe while studying at university.
[00:10:16] Exhausted, slowed studies, friends stayed, finishing lost work.
[00:16:18] Discovering email in 1989, a transformative experience.
[00:19:43] Passionate traveler explores multiple countries and cultures.
[00:22:04] Exciting solo travel led to successful business.
[00:29:07] Travel blog shared with unexpected success.
[00:32:03] "Long first novel gets condensed, spawns sequel."
[00:40:10] Astrology and tarot reveal hidden truths.
[00:47:49] Book writing is a soulful, pressure-filled task.
[00:50:40] Halfway through book, friend questioned astrology academy.
[00:55:58] Writers respect each other's ideas, collaborate respectfully.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about how travel has influenced your creative process.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Threads and BlueSky!
If you'd like weekly updates, plus a chance to see where my curiosity is leading me, check out my new (free!) Substack newsletter.
Life happens. Stuff goes wrong. It's a cliché, but when you're handed lemons, sometimes the best thing to do is to make lemonade. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about how you made the best of a bad situation.
I'm experimenting with my own writing over on Substack! It's called The Spark, it's free, and I hope you'll join us!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on Threads!
Author Rahna Reiko Rizzuto wrote the way many of us do as a child and teen, but didn’t truly turn to writing until she discovered, at the age of 30, that her Japanese-American mother, and her family, had been stripped of everything and put in an internment camp during World War II. The book she produced in her quest to understand these events, Why She Left Us, won the National Book Award. Her two subsequent books, Hiroshima in the Morning and Shadow Child, continue to explore themes of war, race, and historical blindness. Reiko also teaches writing; we met when she became my first faculty advisor in the Goddard College MFA program in 2007. We talk about Reiko’s start as a writer, including that pivotal discovery and the quest to learn more, her time in Japan just before and after 9/11 as she sought to learn from survivors of the Hiroshima bombing—and how 9/11 changed their willingness to speak—and how she taught herself to write and teaches her students those same techniques.
Episode breakdown:
[00:02:45] Family of writers encouraged reading, faced criticism.
[00:10:50] Multiracial Hawaiian culture with loose boundaries.
[00:15:19] Uncovering the family's history in the Japanese internment.
[00:23:33] Discovering the art of crafting a book.
[00:28:33] Learning from students' questions.
[00:37:37] Writing to convey human consequences of historical events.
[00:40:32] Nonfiction book about survivors of atomic bomb.
[00:48:58] Passion for teaching and nurturing writers' stories.
[00:56:07] Best job, supportive colleagues, successful publication.
[01:03:09] Caregiving, love, loss, hoarding: a personal journey.
[01:06:48] Open the portal, practice showing up.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about how discovering a part of your history changed you.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Threads and BlueSky!
If you'd like weekly updates, plus a chance to see where my curiosity is leading me, check out my new (free!) Substack newsletter.
What can a simple choice from actor David Tennant tell us about creative freedom? I'll tell you in this short episode.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about how you might stop taking things so seriously.
I'm experimenting with my own writing over on Substack! It's called The Spark, it's free, and I hope you'll join us!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on Threads!
[I'm on vacation this week, so I'm re-upping one of my favorite interviews from the last year. I'll be back with new episodes next week!]
My friend and fellow Kaizen-Muse creativity coach, Nina Hart, was one of my first guests, and she comes back to the podcast today. Nina is an author and performer—including being an original member of San Francisco’s experimental dance troupe, Contraband, and, playing a purple electric bass, recording and performing with numerous bands—and I invited her to dig into Keith Johnstone’s groundbreaking book on theatrical improvisation, Impro, with me.
I knew Nina would have a lot to say about how we unknowingly are our own biggest obstacles to our own creativity, which is a primary focus of the book. We talk about the role status plays in our lives and our perception of things like permission and perfection, how cultural and societal expectations create the fears that hold us back, the importance of feeling safe to let those fears go, and much more.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us when you feel most safe to express yourself.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in acting and theatre!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
If you'd like weekly updates, plus a chance to see where my curiosity is leading me, check out my new (free!) Substack newsletter.
Odds are good you're making things harder than they need to be—and that's getting in your way more than you realize.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about how slowing down has helped you.
I'm experimenting with my own writing over on Substack! It's called The Spark, it's free, and I hope you'll join us!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on Threads!
Writer, editorial director, and publisher Michael Dolan was a math whiz before he fell in love with writing and journalism in high school. After a career in magazine publishing and working as a professional writer, he decided to start Winding Road Stories, which aims not only to publish new authors, but to help those authors build a writing career. Michael tells me about his start in publishing, how ghostwriting led to the idea for Winding Road, why he wants writers to collaborate and help each other become the best they can be, and more.
Episode breakdown:
[00:05:10] Passion drives pursuit of creativity and skill.
[00:07:58] How kids develop bad writing habits from school.
[00:17:32] Unexpected career in publishing.
[00:26:07] Michael becomes a successful freelance writer.
[00:30:43] Career adapted to changing world, balancing independence.
[00:39:13] Michael starts a successful ghostwriting business.
[00:46:29] Print on demand revolutionizes book publishing.
[00:51:25] Obsession with "Get Back" documentary, collaboration.
[00:56:32] Incredible professor emphasized collaboration in journalism.
[01:00:53] Collaboration, support, and rewarding journey of creativity.
"How to Say Nothing in 500 Words" by Paul McHenry Roberts
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about your favorite collaboration.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
If you'd like weekly updates, plus a chance to see where my curiosity is leading me, check out my new (free!) Substack newsletter.
It sounds counterintuitive, but the fastest way to get things done is to slow down (and stop multitasking!). I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about how slowing down has helped you.
Check out my new newsletter, The Spark! It's free, and I hope you'll join us!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on Threads!
Caroline Whiddon thought she was going to play French horn professionally, but panic and anxiety had other ideas. Fortunately, orchestra administration turned out to be her true home, ultimately leading her to co-found the Me2/ orchestra with her husband, conductor Ronald Braunstein. Braunstein’s bipolar diagnosis left him unable to find work, and Me2/ is the world’s only classical music organization created by and for individuals with mental illnesses and the people who support them. Caroline and I talk about the power of music to create change, what happens when you create stigma-free zones, the documentary, Orchestrating Change, that chronicles Me/2’s journey, and more.
Episode breakdown:
[00:04:31] Following someone else's strict sense of music education vs. having a strong inner sense of musical identity.
[00:07:36] Panic attacks derail performance career, and lead to orchestra administration instead.
[00:16:44] Starting orchestra administration in Savannah.
[00:22:49] Conductor Ronald Braunstein decides to start a non-auditioned orchestra for the mentally ill.
[00:30:49] Challenging beginnings, slow growth, but incredible progress.
[00:35:15] Integration breaks stigma, impacts everyone's lives.
[00:41:08] Music for mental health, supporting and educating.
[00:48:20] A chance discovery leads to inspiring documentary.
[00:51:22] Film documents musician's journey despite challenges. [00:58:43] Signage promotes safe spaces, challenges stigma.
[01:02:46] Strategic planning for expansion, focus on accessibility.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when being fully seen made a difference to you.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in music.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
If you'd like weekly updates, plus a chance to see what's going on in my world, check out my new (free!) Substack newsletter.
Which project should you work on next? And what should you do when you feel downright compelled to work on something, even if it's not the next thing on your list? I'll tell you in this short episode.
Check out my new newsletter, The Spark! It's free, and I hope you'll join us!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on Threads!
My guest this week is author David Roth, who spent thirty-five years as a professional writer of documentaries, corporate communications, multimedia, and more before turning to creative writing. He completed his MFA in 2017 and published his debut novel, The Femme Fatale Hypothesis in 2019. That book just received the American Book Fest's 2023 International Book Award for Best Literary Fiction. David and I talk about the differences between professional and creative writing, the pros and cons of the MFA, the inspiration for his novel, and more (and yes, the hypothesis is a real thing!).
Episode breakdown:
[00:03:28] Imagination, challenges, and collaboration in writing. [00:09:12] Being curious drives David to learn more. [00:12:46] What is “The Femme Fatale Hypothesis”? [00:16:59] Pursuing professional writing. [00:27:02] MA experience: Learn, broaden, and challenge your writing. [00:29:10] Seek critical feedback to improve your writing. [00:37:00] Don't copy others, focus on your uniqueness. [00:44:04] Beginnings of “The Femme Fatale Hypothesis” [00:48:04] Death: Grief, fear, agency, and choices. [00:56:16] “The Swerve” as a wake-up call. [01:01:10] Second novel set in the fictional town of Marsville, Pennsylvania.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you knew it was time to quit something and start something new.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events), all for free!
Last time we talked about how sometimes, quitting is the smartest thing you can do. This week, I'm sharing one crucial way to make sure you don't waste time on a project you should abandon.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on Threads!
My guest this week is Rob Schwartz—journalist, music/film producer, entrepreneur, and son of the late Morrie Schwartz of Tuesdays with Morrie fame. Rob has founded a number of companies, both in Japan and the US, and has produced numerous film and music projects with international teams.
Rob and I talk about his experiences in Japan and India, and how travel enhances creativity, and the role of listening in language learning and the influence of language on thinking and behavior. Rob also tells me about The Wisdom of Morrie, his father’s last book, which encourage readers to challenge stereotypes and find fulfillment in later stages of life. I think you’ll enjoy my wide-ranging conversation with Rob Schwartz.
Episode Breakdown:
[00:03:28] Moving to Japan requires commitment, effort, and learning the language.
[00:08:47] Japan: Disciplined, delicate society with polite etiquette. India: Wonder of world, diverse culturally and geographically.
[00:12:52] Key to learning language: listen, imitate directly.
[00:19:11] Different languages shape different worldviews and personalities.
[00:26:46] French invasion led to mingling of languages.
[00:32:58] Morrie's book found after many years, gets published.
[00:40:20] "Fighting ageism and living a fulfilling life."
[00:48:02] Psychoanalysis exists in many social milieus.
[00:51:40] Mother's influence shaped Morrie's writing and career.
[00:55:52] The irony of Morrie's posthumous fame, and the joy of his legacy.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you were encouraged to challenge a stereotype.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events), all for free!
We're told all the time that "winners never quit, and quitters never win." That "advice" can get you in all sorts of trouble. I explain why in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden has been a story lover since she and her family watched TV and movies together. Her father taught her how to find the deeper layers of a story. This love prompted her to pursue a double major in Religious Studies and Theatre and Speech, a MA in Theatre Arts, and finally a MAEd so she could share her love of stories with her students. Now retired, Lucinda writes her weekly blog, Sage Woman Chronicles, is working on her second novel, manages her online course, "Saving the World One Story at a Time", and produces the bi-weekly podcast, Story-Power.
Lucinda talks with me about the overlap between religion and theater, how story can broaden our understanding of others and help us learn emotional intelligence, how she came to create her online course, and even shares some classic books and movies that are still relevant today.
Episode breakdown:
[00:05:05] Reading fiction helped Lucinda love literature.
[00:08:33] Religious studies to theater.
[00:15:06] Emotional intelligence.
[00:19:18] Father's emotional intelligence led to success.
[00:27:23] From teaching to writing a book, blog, novel, podcast, and online course.
[00:37:12] Language, colors, and stories shape us.
[00:42:58] Acting class teaches medical students empathy skills.
[00:50:44] Movie and book recommendations: awakening journeys and making a difference.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when a story was important to you.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events), all for free!
Creative work, and in fact, most of life, works better when we're good to ourselves, even if that seems counterintuitive. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
I’m absolutely thrilled to be talking this week with actor Peter Davison, star of All Creatures Great and Small, Doctor Who, At Home with the Braithwaites, West End musicals like Spamalot and Gypsy, and much more. He’s also the author of a delightful memoir, Is There Life Outside the Box: An Actor Despairs, and Doctor Who fans also know him as the creator of the 50th anniversary special, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. Peter talks with me about many of those things, plus how he came to write his book, the "rise of the nerds," and more.
Episode breakdown:
[00:01:10] Childhood creativity, music, becoming an actor.
[00:10:08] Taking on Doctor Who, and being unsure how to approach the character.
[00:17:03] Doctor Who, and playing unpleasant characters well.
[00:24:54] All Creatures Great and Small and the lessons learned from Robert Hardy.
[00:35:18] Actors fear of being replaced, and the difference between US and UK actors.
[00:42:13] Acting as the best job.
[00:50:28] Writing his memoir.
[00:55:34] The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.
[01:03:07] Doctor Who fandom and the "rise of the nerd."
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when a story was important to you.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com (I have some really cool extras over there for you!), and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events), all for free!
It may sound counterintuitive, but doing nothing can be really good for you. (If you just felt your whole body relax at the mere thought, that's a sign!) I'll tell you why in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
Author Elizabeth (Eliza) Morton was an actress before she started writing, and has always loved the power of stories. She’s also part of an acting family—she’s married to Doctor Who’s Peter Davison and step-mother-in-law of the show’s David Tennant, and sometimes wonders if she started writing romantic sagas as an escape from all the science fiction in the house. Liz joins me to talk about acting and drama school, transitioning into writing, how her drama background influences her fiction writing, whether artificial intelligence can replace human writers, her new novel, and more.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when a story was important to you.
Want more? Here are some handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and writing and publishing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events), all for free!
It's so easy to want to be like everyone else, but is it really a good idea?
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
Today’s guest, Nick Morrison, is a guitarist, teacher, author, and composer whose work you’ve probably heard in productions from Warner Bros, Universal Studios, Sony, MTV, ABC, NBC, HGTV, and HBO. Nick talks with me about how musicians can make money making music beyond performing and teaching and how writing music for TV and movie productions works. We also talk about why structure and limitation enhance our creativity, how the time he spent in Japan influenced his creative process, and more.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when structure or limitations made being creative easier for you.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in music!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
Every so often, do something the old-fashioned way. I'll tell you why (and how I came to this discovery) in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
My guest today is Kate Powers, a lifelong theatre kid who became an off-Broadway and regional theatre director. Her list of credits is long, but I wanted to talk to Kate about the unusual home she’s found for her work: maximum security prisons. Kate is the founding artistic director of the Redeeming Time Project, which uses Shakespeare to effect positive change for the incarcerated and the formerly incarcerated. She has been a facilitator with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (www.rta-arts.org) at Sing Sing Correctional Facility since 2009.
Kate tells me how she discovered this work, how she runs her program, and the transformative effect of combining Shakespeare—famous for his depictions of all facets of human nature—with a prison population. I’m not gonna lie to you—I had goosebumps for most of this interview, and I think you might, too. If you do, I hope you’ll consider donating to help these programs transform lives—you’ll find a list of links in the show notes.
Please leave a review of the show, and in it, tell us about a time when theater transformed a part of your life.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre!
Join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
"Push through resistance" is absolutely terrible advice. Why? I'll tell you in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
My guest this week, Stacey Smith? was one of my first guests in 2019, when we talked about the creative side of mathematics, and particularly about mathematical models of disease outbreaks—and the occasional zombie apocalypse. We also talked about how Doctor Who influenced her decision to become a mathematician in the first place. I asked Stacey to come back and talk about her own personal gender transition, both in terms of how that’s influenced her own work and what it’s taught her, and also to give us an update on how her mathematical work came into play when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
I think you’ll be surprised by a lot of what she has to say, and also find her outlook quite hopeful across the board. And you might just find yourself interested in at least one of her new books. I’d like to dedicate this episode to my friend, writing mentor, and fellow Doctor Who fan Rachel Pollack, a transgender pioneer whose long battle with cancer just ended on April 7th, but whose influence will be felt for generations to come.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you've stuck with something you love.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
Our culture tells us we should be obsessed(!) with the thing we're meant to do, which can lead to judgment on our part—of our kids, our friends, and ourselves. There are lots of reasons not to be obsessed, and better ways to deal with them than judgment. I'll tell you more in this short episode.
If you suspect you're multi-passionate, I highly recommend the work of Barbara Sher ("Refuse to Choose") and Margaret Lobenstine ("The Renaissance Soul"). Thanks to Walt Whitman by way of Ted Lasso for this episode's title!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
My guest this week, Patrick Lombardi, was born and raised in New Jersey, where he still lives and writes for a variety of local and national sites like BestofNJ.com, NJ.com, and BuzzFeed. He’s collection of humorous stories and essays, Junk Sale, came out in 2018. He’s also the creator of DevourNJ.com, which highlights independent food businesses in New Jersey, and the companion New Jersey Food Truck Cookbook, which was just released in February.
Patrick talks to me about how he decided to focus on his writing, the challenges of writing humor, including judging feedback for humorous prose, and why it’s so important to engage in your art, whatever it might be. We also talk about his decision to start a website for local food, and how he manages all this on top of a day job and family life with an almost-brand-new baby.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you've stuck with something you love.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
It's easy to think we don't need to get to our creative work now. It's also wrong. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
The episode I mention about being ready is Pep Talk #5: Ready.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
Novelist Michael McLaughlin trained as a doctor for more than a decade before deciding that medicine wasn’t where he wanted to be after all. He moved back into his first love—fiction writing—in stages, moving to medical communications before deciding it was time to write full-time. Michael tells me how and why he made that shift, including how he wrote his first book, on career change, before jumping into the world of long fiction. We also talk about how he draws on his medical background and combines plotting and writing by the seat of his pants to get the best results in his work.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us what helps you believe in yourself.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
We often believe that the best way to do good work—of any kind—is to do it well. Seems obvious, right? What if I told you the opposite is often true? I explain in this short episode.
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
Author Matt Leyshon spends his days as a software engineer before morphing into a fervent writer at night. He’s best known for his writing and research for his debut novel, Jack the Ripper: Live and Uncut, which was received the Jack the Ripper: Book of the Year award for fiction from the Ripperology community. He has also appeared as a Jack the Ripper expert at MegaCon and on the History Channel.
Matt joins me to talk about why that book was self-published for only six months, his foray into writing a thriller in a fantasy setting, the importance of encouragement in the creative process, why creative folks should always be bold and take chances to promote their own work, and more.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us what helps you believe in yourself.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
Building on last week's conversation with Nina Hart about Keith Johnstone's book, "Impro," here's why putting on a persona can be a valuable part of your creative process.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes.
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!
My friend and fellow Kaizen-Muse creativity coach, Nina Hart, was one of my first guests, and she comes back to the podcast today. Nina is an author and performer—including being an original member of San Francisco’s experimental dance troupe, Contraband, where she played a purple electric bass—and I invited her to dig into Keith Johnstone’s groundbreaking book on theatrical improvisation, Impro, with me.
I knew Nina would have a lot to say about how we unknowingly are our own biggest obstacles to our own creativity, which is a primary focus of the book. We talk about the role status plays in our lives and our perception of things like permission and perfection, how cultural and societal expectations create the fears that hold us back, the importance of feeling safe to let those fears go, and much more.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us when you feel most safe to express yourself.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in acting and theatre!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
It's the 50th pep talk! And it's time to give ourselves credit. Why? And How? I'll tell you in this short episode.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes.
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news and Mastodon! And I'm now on Spoutible—come say hi!
Jodi Krangle is a Toronto-based voice actor who works with major brands all over the world including Dell, BBVA, HGTV, Nespresso & Kraft. She's been heard in thousands of your favorite commercials and websites, so odds are very good that you’ve already heard her voice. She also hosts the Audio Branding podcast, which delves into how to make an impact with sound, and how sound influences us. We talk about her journey to voice acting, the reality of voice acting versus our perception of it, and some ways sound can alter perception that will probably surprise you. Jodi also has some advice for anyone who’s considering a career in voice acting.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when incidents from your own life have turned up in your creative work!
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in acting and theatre!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
Our concept of "normal" can be one of the biggest creative obstacles we face (and the same is often true outside the creative process). And in one particular case, it's just plain wrong anyway. I'll tell you why in this short episode.
The link I promised: Writing Begins with Forgiveness.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes.
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news and Mastodon!
My guest today is Michael Hearns, a veteran law enforcement officer whose experience includes working undercover with Miami’s vice, intelligence, and narcotics unit—yes, like Miami Vice—and has also worked as a technical consultant on a variety of movies and tv shows. These days, Michael is the author of the Cade Taylor police thrillers, including Trust No One. We talk about his law enforcement career, how realistic police shows (including Miami Vice) actually are, and his dedication to authenticity in his novels. We also take on the realities of the creative life vs. its portrayal on screen, and why it’s worth answering your creative call anyway.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when incidents from your own life have turned up in your creative work!
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
We all know resolutions don't work, or at best, don't work for long. So what does? I'll tell you in this short episode.
Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news and Mastodon!
Award-winning poet, performer, playwright, and educator Maria James-Thiaw has published several books of poetry and founded the Reclaim Artist Collective, which seeks to to raise consciousness about social justice issues impacting marginalized communities through its arts-based, anti-racist curriculum. Her latest collection, Count Each Breath, examines her experiences as a Black woman in the American healthcare system.
Maria joins me today to have the conversation we floated when she first came on the show in 2019, about the intersection of art and politics. Is it even possible to disconnect them? We tackle this question, as well as the political implications of the focus on STEM education, what happens when we relegate the arts to an afterthought, and how driven creative folks find ways to earn money from their art or artistic skills.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Who's your best creative rival? The answer might be closer than you think.
Inspired by Simon Sinek's video called "Worthy Rivals."
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.
Every year at the holidays, I feature one of my favorite episodes from the past year. I hope you find encouragement in my conversation with John Noltner of A Peace of My Mind.
My guest today is John Noltner, a writer and photographer whose project, A Peace of My Mind, has produced three books, the latest of which is Portraits of Peace: Searching for Hope in a Divided America. John’s freelance photography career took him all over the world for a variety of national magazines, but the 2008 recession, along with his increasing awareness of the growing divide in American society, called him to explore both the breadth of human experience and the things that we have in common but tend to lose track of thanks to the relentless news cycle. I think John will leave you feeling much more hopeful about our world, and how you might do your part to bring us closer.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you connected with a stranger.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Register here.
It's absolutely critical for all of us to find our people—especially the people who share and understand our creative calling. In this short-but-sweet episode, I'll tell you why.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.
Lowry Olafson knew from a young age that he wanted to be a musician, and like so many other aspiring musicians, had to figure out how to make it work—and he did: he has released nine albums and performed around the world. He is also the founder and creator of PowerSongs—deeply meaningful, personal songs for a wide range of individuals and groups—and PowerSongs Pro, for businesses and other organizations. Lowry talks with me about the moment that changed his perspective on his musical prospects, immersing himself in the musical scene in Perth, Australia, how he developed the idea of PowerSongs, how he’s created them for individuals and school groups, and just why they make such a lasting impression on his clients.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when music inspired you to do something new.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in music!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.
I've been under the weather, so here's a pep talk from last year: a simple tool that can make your life SO much better. ASK. Yup, that's it. It's simple, but not always easy — but the benefits are totally worth it. I'm sharing how it's helped me and why you should step out of your comfort zone to ask more often, too.
I'll be back next time with something new! :)
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.
As always, at the holidays, I feature one of my favorite episodes from the past year. For Thanksgiving, I'm highlighting my conversation with Jon Davey, who shared his unique perspective on finding your own way when you don't seem to fit into the mold of "normal." Enjoy!
Actor, photographer, and filmmaker Jon Davey has appeared in more than 50 episodes of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005, particularly as a variety of monsters including Cybermen, Daleks, Ood, and Judoon. He’s also done behind-the-camera work on a variety of projects, including quite a few music videos for Radiohead. He joins me to talk about how he came to those roles, as well as what it’s like to meet fans at a convention when you grew up as a fan yourself, how growing up with learning issues including dyslexia equipped him for an unconventional career, and the value of questioning your assumptions about yourself and what “normal” means to you.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you had to find your own path.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Last week, Dr. Kelly Flanagan and I talked about getting back to what's wild in us. Here's how doing that can help your creative process (and your whole life).
Please leave a review for this episode, and in it, tell us about a time when you let your wild come out to play.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk epsiodes.
When I started this podcast in 2019, Dr. Kelly Flanagan was one of my inaugural guests, and his episode, “The Gifts of Creativity,” remains one of my favorites. Kelly has just published his first novel, The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell, and I wanted to talk to him about how that experience differed from writing nonfiction, and about the book itself. We delve into those questions and various subjects raised by the book, including how we look outside ourselves (and sometimes to our creative work) to find our worth, the value of letting out our wild sides, how the things we do for security often actually undermine us, and how Kelly sees the intersection of spirituality and creativity. As an added bonus, we have a copy of the book to give away to a listener—stay tuned to hear those details at the end.
Here are the posts for the giveaway: Instagram and Twitter.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing! And you can find Kelly's first appearance on the podcast here.
If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.
So how do you keep yourself "doing it anyway"? It helps to talk back to the naysaying voices in your head. It helps even more if you know what you're going to say in advance.
Please leave a review for this episode, and in it, tell us what your favorite comeback is.
If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk epsiodes.
So how do you keep yourself "doing it anyway"? It helps to talk back to the naysaying voices in your head. It helps even more if you know what you're going to say in advance.
Please leave a review for this episode, and in it, tell us what your favorite comeback is.
If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk epsiodes.
Not quite two years ago, writer John Roedel, author of the Hey God, Hey John poems that have gone viral online (and the collection of the same name) joined me to talk about how he ended up “talking to God” and what he’s learned from that experience. (If you haven’t heard it, you’ll want to check it out.) I asked John to come back and tell us how he’s shifted into helping people discover their true selves and write authentically from the heart.
John and I talk about everything from the way improv has influenced that decision to what happens when we connect from our authentic selves and the stories that made us. We also delved a little into how that kind of small, empathetic, interpersonal connection might help to mitigate our current societal malaise.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you got vulnerable and communicated from the heart.
If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
Not quite two years ago, writer John Roedel, author of the Hey God, Hey John poems that have gone viral online (and the collection of the same name) joined me to talk about how he ended up “talking to God” and what he’s learned from that experience. (If you haven’t heard it, you’ll want to check it out.) I asked John to come back and tell us how he’s shifted into helping people discover their true selves and write authentically from the heart.
John and I talk about everything from the way improv has influenced that decision to what happens when we connect from our authentic selves and the stories that made us. We also delved a little into how that kind of small, empathetic, interpersonal connection might help to mitigate our current societal malaise.
Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you got vulnerable and communicated from the heart.
If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
Is whatever's holding you back from your creative call really enough reason to give up? Not likely. Here's why you really should do it anyway.
Ben Folds agrees with me: take a listen.
What are the six biggest creative beliefs that are screwing up your process? Find out here!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Instagram or Twitter!
Is whatever's holding you back from your creative call really enough reason to give up? Not likely. Here's why you really should do it anyway.
Ben Folds agrees with me: take a listen.
What are the six biggest creative beliefs that are screwing up your process? Find out here!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Instagram or Twitter!
My guest this week is Tom Colgan, editorial director at Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Tom has spent more than 35 years championing such authors as Tom Clancy, Mark Graeney, and Janet Evanovich. We talk about how he got his start as an editor, what editors do and don’t do (you may be surprised!), how the creative process is different for everyone, and why, despite coming up with many ideas for books, he doesn’t dream of writing one. He also has some advice for aspiring authors.
I would love for you to leave a review for the show, and in it, tell us about your relationship with books and writing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.
If you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, you owe it to yourself to get my free 6 Creative Beliefs That Are Screwing You Up series—it’ll slice through those myths to help get you back on track!
Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
My guest this week is Tom Colgan, editorial director at Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Tom has spent more than 35 years championing such authors as Tom Clancy, Mark Graeney, and Janet Evanovich. We talk about how he got his start as an editor, what editors do and don’t do (you may be surprised!), how the creative process is different for everyone, and why, despite coming up with many ideas for books, he doesn’t dream of writing one. He also has some advice for aspiring authors.
I would love for you to leave a review for the show, and in it, tell us about your relationship with books and writing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.
If you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, you owe it to yourself to get my free 6 Creative Beliefs That Are Screwing You Up series—it’ll slice through those myths to help get you back on track!
Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing!
If you've been waiting to feel motivated to do your creative work, you may be surprised to learn that you're actually doing things backwards. (If you haven't listened to the Pep Talk about "Five Minutes," I suggest you listen to it in conjunction with this one!)
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Learn more and register here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
If you've been waiting to feel motivated to do your creative work, you may be surprised to learn that you're actually doing things backwards. (If you haven't listened to the Pep Talk about "Five Minutes," I suggest you listen to it in conjunction with this one!)
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Learn more and register here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
It’s no secret that a lot of creative people absolutely love doing their creative work, but seize up at the idea of selling it. I invited Annie P. Ruggles, also known simply as Annie P., to the podcast to share why selling doesn’t have to be evil, and how to get around our fears and worries involving selling creative work. Annie, a former theater kid, now runs the Non-Sleazy Sales Academy, which aims to help those of us who are marketing and sales averse get our work into the world in an ethical way we can feel good about. We talk about the myth that arts and humanities degrees are worthless, why selling—and buying—are things we all do all the time, how to price creative work, how to avoid falling into the trap of creating solely to make money, and more.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about your relationship with money and creativity!
Want more? Check out this playlist with all my previous entrepreneurial guests!
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
It’s no secret that a lot of creative people absolutely love doing their creative work, but seize up at the idea of selling it. I invited Annie P. Ruggles, also known simply as Annie P., to the podcast to share why selling doesn’t have to be evil, and how to get around our fears and worries involving selling creative work. Annie, a former theater kid, now runs the Non-Sleazy Sales Academy, which aims to help those of us who are marketing and sales averse get our work into the world in an ethical way we can feel good about. We talk about the myth that arts and humanities degrees are worthless, why selling—and buying—are things we all do all the time, how to price creative work, how to avoid falling into the trap of creating solely to make money, and more.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about your relationship with money and creativity!
Want more? Check out this playlist with all my previous entrepreneurial guests!
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Once you've wrangled with the truth, what do you DO with it? (Spoiler: don't ignore it.)
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you listened to your wisdom!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
My next FREE Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time call is coming up! Learn more and register here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Once you've wrangled with the truth, what do you DO with it? (Spoiler: don't ignore it.)
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you listened to your wisdom!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
My next FREE Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time call is coming up! Learn more and register here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Hillary Webb describes herself as a cultural anthropologist, author, and mixed-media storyteller with a focus on theater anthropology and cross-cultural perspectives on human consciousness. It’s a mix that covers a lot of territory, both literally and figuratively. Hillary has traveled the world for research on shamanism and consciousness, and has even managed to stumble into the world of stand-up comedy in Berlin. We talk about Western ideas of individualism and how they influence our ideas of being part of a group, how those dynamics function in a place like Peru, and how they all influence our senses of who we really are. We also explore the current cultural ideal of authenticity and how it intersects with enthusiasm—and come to a conclusion that might surprise you.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, and in it, tell us something you're enthusiastic about, whether large or small.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Get stuff DONE at my Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Register here.
Need a dose of calm and wonder? Join me for Gratitude and Wonder! Register here.
Hillary Webb describes herself as a cultural anthropologist, author, and mixed-media storyteller with a focus on theater anthropology and cross-cultural perspectives on human consciousness. It’s a mix that covers a lot of territory, both literally and figuratively. Hillary has traveled the world for research on shamanism and consciousness, and has even managed to stumble into the world of stand-up comedy in Berlin. We talk about Western ideas of individualism and how they influence our ideas of being part of a group, how those dynamics function in a place like Peru, and how they all influence our senses of who we really are. We also explore the current cultural ideal of authenticity and how it intersects with enthusiasm—and come to a conclusion that might surprise you.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, and in it, tell us something you're enthusiastic about, whether large or small.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Get stuff DONE at my Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Register here.
Need a dose of calm and wonder? Join me for Gratitude and Wonder! Register here.
Do you recognize and respect the truth? Or is your relationship with it a little different? Spoiler: It may not be what you think it is!
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you realized you were trying to outwit the truth!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
My FREE Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time call is coming up! Register here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Do you recognize and respect the truth? Or is your relationship with it a little different? Spoiler: It may not be what you think it is!
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you realized you were trying to outwit the truth!
Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!
My FREE Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time call is coming up! Register here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
[I'm on vacation this week, so I'm re-upping one of my favorite interviews from the last year. I'll be back with new episodes next week!]
Musician Paul Bessenbacher, known to his friends and fans as PB, lives a genuine optimism best summed up in his signature statement: “It’s gonna be great.” PB has followed the flow of that sentiment from an undergraduate degree that let him experiment with every genre he could find, to learning recording engineering on the fly, to forming a band—more of a collaboration—Opus Orange. Oh, and he also composes for film.
We talk about all that and particularly about how he navigates the flow, avoids being bogged down by worry, and why we should all embrace failure and give each other grace for being imperfect.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Well, covid finally got to me, so this week's pep talk is a replay, and one that seemed fitting, considering. Please enjoy while I rest up, so I can be back with new episodes in September.
It's okay to rest! In fact, I highly encourage it. And I'm telling you why in under three minutes.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you let yourself rest, and how it made a difference!
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Linda King caught the travel bug at an early age. She also grew up in a family of writers. After working in the travel and banking industries—and discovering that there was an appetite for her travel advice—she started The Smart Travelista: a website and series of travel books to help people travel wisely and save money doing it. Linda tells me more about that journey and about her more recent foray into creative nonfiction, and also offers some travel tips and a pep talk for anyone who needs a little motivation to give travel a try. We also talk about how travel influences your creative process.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Sign up for my monthly Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session here. (Learn more in Pep Talk #39!)
Sign up for my monthly Gratitude and Wonder session here.
A pep talk AND an invitation: How Parallel Universe Time can help you get past procrastination and get things done. If you're intrigued, you're invited to join us for scheduled PUT sessions that will help you make progress and energize your creative process.
Register here for the Zoom link and to be kept informed of new PUT session times.
Questions? Contact me at nancy@fycuriosity.com
What if I told you your creative blocks are totally normal? There's nothing wrong with you.
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Gael Wood started her career as a massage therapist, opening her own day spa and eventually starting her own online business. While that business has taken different forms throughout the years, she’s always found a creative groove in what she does, be it through creating the perfect spa ambience, writing her own marketing materials, or authoring her own books. Along the way, she’s also out together large telesummits and business mastermind groups. Gael talks with me about her experiences in all these endeavors, plus the challenges and magic of staying in trust, finding flow, and learning to live in gratitude, even in situations most of us would not want to be grateful for—which is where the real magic of a gratitude practice lives.
Why you might want to be open to the possibility of being wildly wrong (or even just slightly wrong) about everything from your new creative project to interpersonal dynamics.
Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you were wrong and it turned out well anyway!
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
When the Covid pandemic started, all of us had to find new ways to keep busy. Shanti Hershenson, who was 12 at the time, decided to start taking writing seriously. Now 14, Shanti has not only written a remarkable 15 books, she’s done the work to self-publish and get those books into several independent bookstores. Shanti talks with me about why she didn’t tell anyone she had started writing, how her friends and family reacted, and how the young adult dystopian genre has shaped how young people see the world. She also shares her experiences using TikTok as a way to promote her work and help others start their own writing projects.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Sign up for my monthly Creative Check-In here.
Sign up for my monthly Gratitude and Wonder session here.
If you're not doing what you want to do because you think you're not ready or don't have what you need, might I very gently and lovingly suggest that you're wrong?
Please leave a review and in it, let us know what YOU are starting, from right where you are!
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
My guest this week is actor Colin Spaull, who began acting as a child and is still going strong. His early appearances include the role of Pip in Great Expectations and Peter in Heidi, and since then he’s been in everything from Coronation Street to Doctor Who. Colin talks with me about acting school, why he prefers theatre to television, his experience on The Murder Game, which had no script, and what it’s like to encounter the Cybermen close up on Doctor Who—and a lot more.
One correction: While Colin was the first actor to be in both classic Doctor Who and the new series, he's no longer the only one.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Leave a review (and in it, tell us about your favorite actor)!
Register for Gratitude and Wonder (coming up on July 8!).
Register for Creative Check-In (coming up on July 10!).
Sign up for email notifications of coming events.
What can you do in five minutes? A LOT more than you think. Don't believe me? Let me explain--and then give it a try yourself!
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Join us for my monthly Gratitude and Wonder call (also free!) here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Kevin Roth began to play the dulcimer in 1972 at the old age of thirteen, and at sixteen recorded his first album for Folkways / Smithsonian Folkways Records, which immediately launched him into international fame. More recently, a cancer diagnosis he was not expected to survive caused him to reevaluate his life and choose to survive and thrive. Kevin now teaches the techniques he used to make big changes in his life to others as a life coach who has also developed a form of dulcimer-based meditation. We talk about what happens to us on the search for happiness, why we seem to get stuck so easily despite that quest, and how to focus on what feels good and let it inform the dreams we want to pursue. Kevin also treats us to some dulcimer-playing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Leave a review (and in it, tell us how music has moved you)!
Register for Gratitude and Wonder.
Register for Creative Check-In.
Sign up for email notifications of coming events.
Are you the last item on your own list? If so, you're not alone—we all fall into this trap. Did you know it could be tamping down your joy and your creative process? Listen for the simple solution!
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Dieter Randolph started his career in the “family business” of ministry. He’s since left that field, and has taken on a wide variety of jobs, from car sales to working for Google. These days, he’s a writer, speaker, coach, teacher, and podcaster. Along the way, he’s refined his ideas of what it means to live a meaningful life, including what leads us in the direction of meaning and how we get thrown off course. Those ideas also are the basis of his book, “Meaningfullfilled.” Dieter talks with me about everything from a concept of something bigger than ourselves to how our resistance to boredom can choke our creativity, and the importance of seeing each other as inherently worthy, valid human beings and listening to each other’s stories.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Leave a review (and in it, tell us about a meaningful moment in your life)!
Register for Gratitude and Wonder.
Register for Creative Check-In.
Sign up for email notifications of coming events.
Following up from last time: how my nephew's piano recital went, and what we can all learn from how he handled the unexpected.
As always, I love to hear your thoughts about what you've heard. Leave a review and tell me about a time when laughter saved you.
Sign up for my FREE monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Desiree Adaway, founder and principal of the Adaway Group, is one of the nation’s preeminent diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant-facilitators with over 25 years of experience creating, leading, and managing international multicultural teams in 40 countries through major organizational change. She also leads the annual Whiteness at Work program, which I took in 2020. When she sent an email a few months ago about the intersection of creativity, and was leading a journaling workshop, I immediately wanted to know more about how she sees that intersection, so I invited her to the podcast.
As you’ll hear, we delve deep into the ways equity work and creativity are similar, which may surprise you—from perfectionism to self-judgment to how to use journaling as a tool for your own freedom as well as the collective good, you’ll find a lot to think on and explore.
I hope you’ll leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts—but in that review, please tell us about the just, equitable world YOU want to build.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
What I learned from helping my 9-year-old nephew learn "Hey Jude" for his piano recital—both from the process of working with him, and from the song itself.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review! But in it, share your favorite Beatles lyrics with us so we can all check them out. (Your favorite song will do, too, if that's easier!)
Sign up for my monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
My guest today is John Noltner, a writer and photographer whose project, A Peace of My Mind, has produced three books, the latest of which is Portraits of Peace: Searching for Hope in a Divided America. John’s freelance photography career took him all over the world for a variety of national magazines, but the 2008 recession, along with his increasing awareness of the growing divide in American society, called him to explore both the breadth of human experience and the things that we have in common but tend to lose track of thanks to the relentless news cycle. I think John will leave you feeling much more hopeful about our world, and how you might do your part to bring us closer.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Small and crappy can be the key to creative success. In this episode, I tell you why and give you a fun exercise to give it a try.
Sign up for the monthly Creative Check-In call here.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Actor, photographer, and filmmaker Jon Davey has appeared in 50 episodes of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005, as a variety of monsters including Cybermen, Daleks, Ood, and Judoon. He’s also done behind-the-camera work on a variety of projects, including quite a few music videos for Radiohead. He joins me to talk about how he came to those roles, as well as what it’s like to meet fans at a convention when you grew up as a fan yourself, how growing up with learning issues including dyslexia equipped him for an unconventional career, and the value of questioning your assumptions about yourself and what “normal” means to you.
I'd love for you to join me for a free Creative Check-In session this coming Sunday, May 1 at 12pm ET. I explain in this super short episode what a Creative Check-In is and how it works. It's a great way to keep yourself in the creative process while having fun with others. I hope you'll come hang out with me (and bring a friend or three!).
You can register here. If you have any questions, or can't make it but would love to suggest another time, send me a note at nancy at fycuriosity.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Kids find joy all the time, but as adults, we tend to think it's not important, or at least not a top priority. I realized this past week how backwards that is. Here's why you should get back in touch with what brings you joy and add more of it to your life.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Author Rick Bleiweiss has always followed his creative curiosity, and it’s led him to some unexpected destinations. He was studying filmmaking when he landed the internship that would lead to a career in the music industry. At the same time, he was still making music—and he’s also always been a writer. Rick shares his incredible creative adventures with me, from his work on Spinal Tap to some great stories about working with Melissa Etheridge and the Backstreet Boys, and his current work in the publishing industry and as the author of “Pignon Scorbion and the Barbershop Detectives.”
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
I'd love for you to join me for a free Gratitude and Wonder session this coming Friday at 7pm ET. I explain in this very short episode what G&W is, how I came to start it, and how it works. It's a great way to end the week, and I hope you'll come hang out and experience it with me (and bring a friend or three!).
You can register here. If you have any questions, or can't make it but would love to suggest another time, send me a note at nancy at fycuriosity.com or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
If you've never thought of quitting as a valid creative/problem-solving technique, this week's topic may sound controversial. I hope you'll give me a chance to change your mind, because quitting might be exactly what your project needs.
Journal questions: What was I taught about quitting that makes it hard for me to walk away? How could I feel 5% more comfortable with quitting?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Creativity enthusiast and educator JoAnn Nocera knows what it’s like to stop listening to your creative spark—and she’s done the work to get hers back. Now she helps students, teachers, and parents keep that spark alive. She joined me to talk about that journey, what she sees happening in classrooms, and most importantly, how to keep kids from losing that spark in the first place. As an added bonus, a lot of what she says can be applied to adults, too. She also shares her favorite creativity tool: Neurographic doodling.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
If you think lowering your expectations means lowering your standards, and that you'll never do any worthy creative work again if you give it a try, you'll want to listen to this episode. It can revolutionize your creative process—my journaling experience is one great example you'll hear about—and actually make room for you to accomplish so much more than you might by holding your own feet to the fire.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
Author, actor, and podcaster Vance Neudorf is a man of many talents. In addition to those three pursuits, he’s also a set designer and builder, and the executive director at the Badlands Amphitheatre, Canada’s largest outdoor theatre stage. Our conversation covers everything from his free-range childhood, his transformation into a voracious reader thanks to The Hobbit, how he stumbled—almost literally—into acting, the perks of releasing a novel-in-progress as a podcast, and a lot more. Vance has a lot to say about the benefits of saying yes to new, unexpected opportunities, and experimenting with what you’re doing.
Check out the show notes (including images of the hammer Vance made) at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Journaling can be a fantastic tool both for personal exploration and for your creative process. If you're groaning at the idea of journaling, you're in good company: I used to feel that way about it, too. I'll tell you what changed my mind, some tips from my own journaling practice, and give you a prompt to get you started.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY. https://bit.ly/CreativeTuneUp
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
If you’ve been listening for any length of time, you’ll know that I very firmly believe that anyone who’s breathing is creative. I recently came across a definition of creativity that really rankled me, because it seemed to be saying the exact opposite was true. I contacted my friend and fellow creativity coach Dawn Kotzer, who’s been on the show before, and asked her if she’d be interested in tackling the question of just what creativity really is. We batted that question around, looking at everything from the vital nature of failure to the power of constraints to the role of acceptance, humility, and even humiliation in the creative process. If that’s not enough, we also examined driving a stick-shift car as a metaphor for creativity. Did we reach any solid conclusions? I think we did, and I think you’ll get a lot out of listening in on our conversation.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
If you're going to be courageous enough to follow your creative call, it helps to be on your own side. Here's why.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Alison ver Halen always wanted to write, and act, but was told as a child that neither of those were possible careers. Nonetheless, she never gave up—she majored in English and psychology and minored in theater, which gave her the perfect background for content marketing, a field she stumbled into, starting as a part-time blogger. And she still writes fiction. In our conversation this week, she explains just what content marketing and search engine optimization are, how story works both in fiction and in content marketing, and how theater prepared her to branch into public speaking. She also shares her favorite piece of advice.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
At the beginning of a project, you probably want to tell the entire universe about it. Here's why you might want to go against that instinct, at least for a while.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Prolific author John Peel has written novels in universes from Doctor Who to Star Trek to James Bond. John started off writing fan fiction, and as you’ll hear, is an advocate for fan fiction as a training ground for fiction writing. He tells me how he made the leap to writing authorized fiction—novels set in existing tv and movie universes—and how he approaches writing assignments and his relationships with editors. We also talk about the unexpected lessons his good friend Terry Nation, the creator of Doctor Who’s Daleks, taught him about writing.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
As a culture, we're addicted to cleverness and speed, but they may not be the best things for your life or your creative process.
Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
My guest today is Father Michael Rossmann, Jesuit priest and creator of a video series offering perspectives and advice on life, many of which focus on creativity and aspects of the creative process. It’s easy to discount or just not even notice the spiritual side of creativity, but it’s there all the same. We talk about how he came to his interest in and advocacy for creative work, the pitfalls of perfectionism and the power of creative constraints, how creativity connects us to the divine (whatever you may conceive the divine to be), and the personal and spiritual benefits of creative practice.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
We all want to be happy—and we usually want others to be, too. That second bit can get us in trouble, and we tend to ignore the first. So what do we do about it? Here's my suggestion.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
When I think of someone who is unstoppably creative, I think of Leonie Dawson, who is my guest today. As you’ll hear, Leonie is an artist, writer, and inveterate experimenter who build a 7-figure business by trying as many things as possible to see what she loved the most, and runs on the philosophy that whoever’s having the most fun wins. We talk about everything from how she encourages creativity with her kids to her decision to leave social media to the fact that it really is okay to decide not only who you want to work with, but who you don’t—and a whole lot more. This is a wide-ranging conversation that offers a lot to chew on for any creative soul or entrepreneur.
**There’s some strong language in this episode.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
Appreciation is one of the more powerful tools in the creativity toolbox, and it helps in the rest of life, too! Hear why you should give it a try, and join me in an annual appreciation exercise that's guaranteed to lift your spirits and those of everyone you care about.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
As always, at the holidays I share a favorite episode from the year. I hope you enjoy revisiting this episode!
The idea of "talking to God" may bring up images of saints or prophets—or a disconnect from reality. John Roedel fits in none of those categories. He's an improv comedian and poet who started writing conversations between himself and God as silly one-offs during a crisis of faith, only to find them becoming deeper and more insightful over time. One of his pieces from a few years ago went viral in the spring of 2020, to his great surprise, when the newly quarantined public found itself reflected in his words. John and I talk about being the family oddball, the perks and perils of "talking" with God (including readers' expectations), living your life according to "Yes, and..." and even enact that viral post for you.
Check out the show notes (including John's "Ten Seconds" video) at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
A bonus holiday pep talk, short and sweet: It's okay to rest! In fact, I highly encourage it. And I'm telling you why in under three minutes.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
How often do you say, "I don't know?" And what happens when you do? None of us knows everything, but we all know more than we think we do, so let's look at what happens when we say these three words.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or TikTok.
Tara Thieleke’s art roots go back to her childhood, where two of her art teachers planted the seeds not only of the importance of art, but also of what kind of person she wanted to be. She’s been actively making and sharing art ever since, even though her path to school teaching took a few detours.
Tara tells us about those two teachers, what she’s learned from her students, how she applies improv’s “Yes, and…” mantra to her teaching and her life, and more.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.
Last week, I encouraged you to ask for the things you want, because it makes such a huge difference in the quality of your life and the experiences that are open to you. This week, I'm talking about the courage it takes to do that, because it sure can be daunting. Embarking on any creative pursuit takes immense courage, and pretending otherwise does no one any good.
The Colbert clip with Stephen Sondheim
Putting It Together from Sunday in the Park with George
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Oh, look! I decided to do a holiday replay anyway. ;)
Eddie Louise, writer of the Sage and Savant audio drama podcast, has lived one of the most fascinating creative journeys I’ve ever heard. She has followed her curiosity from the libraries of Wyoming to undergraduate studies in Edinburgh and back to California, and absolutely none of it has happened in the way anyone is told a life story is “supposed” to unfold.
We talk about her first adventures with Shakespeare, the unexpected detour in high school, how she got to Edinburgh, and, of course, the genesis of Sage and Savant. There’s a lot here about daring to take chances and step out of the cave our society tends to want to tell us is the only safe place to be.
If you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you. It'll help you get moving again quickly, and it's fun!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.
A bonus holiday pep talk about a simple tool that can make your life SO much better. ASK. Yup, that's it. It's simple, but not always easy, but the benefits are totally worth it. I'm sharing how it's helped me and why you should step out of your comfort zone to ask more often, too.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Have you ever been in a state of flow? I'll bet you've been under pressure. What's the difference between these two states? They can be easily confused, so I'm here this week to share some thoughts on the critical differences between flow and pressure (and a few overlaps!).
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! You can also watch these pep talks on YouTube. I post pretty regularly on TikTok ,too.
Kate Chapman knew at a young age that Broadway was “the answer” to where she wanted to be. She made it, though it wasn’t easy, with performances ranging from Les Mis to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. In the last decades she’s become more and more interested in helping others with their health, via both health and life coaching, though she doesn’t think she’ll ever stop singing. We talk about how she kept hope alive while waiting for her big break, how her own health journey led her to coaching, and how the health system is often stacked against consumers. Kate even sings a song for us—And we fangirl over Martha Beck and Elizabeth Gilbert a little, too.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also listen on YouTube.
We've talked before about comparison, perfectionism, and self-rejection, but the conversation is not complete without reflecting on the fact that not everyone is your audience. Finding your audience is an aspect of the creative process that can easily be de-prioritized or even ignored. Here's why you want to make sure you very carefully consider it.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
My guest this week is Madeleine Holly-Rosing, creator of the Boston Metaphysical Society series. Since beginning that series, Madeleine has created graphic novels, novels short stories, a coloring book, and is currently working an audio drama. Oh, and she’s run NINE Kickstarters and has literally written the book on the subject: Kickstarter for the Independent Creator. And she's made helping others succeed one of her chief business priorities.
We talk about Kickstarter (including her latest), the intersection between screenwriting and graphic novels, working with collaborators for those graphic novels—and how much more diverse creators and fans are than many people realize—leaving room to be surprised in your creative work, and much more.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
For this week's pep talk, I'm sharing another recent Wisdom talk, in response to a question from a guest about just what Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching is. It's been a long time since I've talked about it on the pod, and I've never done it in a short, specific form that's easy to find, so now seemed like a good time.
If you think KMCC might be for you, get in touch! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Want to give it a whirl on your own first? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
Brandi Stanley spent a lot of time working in branding and marketing before she could no longer avoid the truth: it just wasn’t what she was supposed to be doing. But just what was she meant to do instead? It’s a question so many of us ask, and we all know it can take time to find the answer. In Brandi’s case, it turned out to be using all the skills she’d developed already to make connections between things that seem unconnected, and bring them to others via her podcast, This Plus That.
We talk about that journey, the art of being “ready,” the magic that happens when you start taking steps toward the things you really want to do, and the concept of aliveness—which is a whole lot bigger and more profound than you might expect.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
I've been beta testing the new Wisdom app over the last two weeks, which is sort of like a cross between a podcast and Clubhouse, where I can not only share my own thoughts and insights, but also talk to others about them. I thought you might like to hear what happens on that platform, and I'm hoping you'll check it out when the app makes its full release in a few weeks—I'd love to get to talk to you!
This episode is longer than my pep talks since it includes conversations with three guests. I hope it gives you a sense of what Wisdom will be like, and that you enjoy the discussion. Learn more about the app here.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Isabelle Hardesty started her creative life in visual art and fashion before trying her hand at writing. Inspired in part by her childhood in South Florida, her most recent novels are The Witch of Belle Fleur, and its upcoming sequel, Midnight in Belle Fleur. We talk about the importance of listening to our intuition, being sure YOU like your own work, why she self-publishes, the responsibility creatives bear for the messages we put out into the culture, the revision process, and more.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
This week I have a more lighthearted look at things that get in our way, riffing off a great story from Zander and Zander's book The Art of Possibility. Maybe you, too, would benefit from remembering Rule Number Six?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Author Mark Ryall explores the exciting, and ethically daunting, world of genetic engineering in his novel, Age-Decoded. Focused on the current technology called CRISPR, he explores the wide variety of possibilities the technology opens up. It’s a project that brings together his background in math and science as well as teaching. Our conversation digs into the technology, the unusual path to his first encounter with it, and how he used the novel format to delve into the opportunities and issues it presents. We also talk about how important it is to find what Mark calls your genuine self, especially if the path you’re meant to be on isn’t obvious to you.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.
Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.
Continuing from last time: more on comparison, and how it's actually a way to reject ourselves, even if we don't know it. Perfectionism factors into that process, too, creating an ugly soup of not-good-enoughness. The good news: you CAN do something about it. Details within!
Want more help? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.
Musician Paul Bessenbacher, known to his friends and fans as PB, lives a genuine optimism best summed up in his signature statement: “It’s gonna be great.” PB has followed the flow of that sentiment from an undergraduate degree that let him experiment with every genre he could find, to learning recording engineering on the fly, to forming a band—more of a collaboration—Opus Orange. Oh, and he also composes for film.
We talk about all that and particularly about how he navigates the flow, avoids being bogged down by worry, and why we should all embrace failure and give each other grace for being imperfect.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!
A story about comparison and how it robs us not only of our creative joy but also distorts our sense of ourselves.
Did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I also post regularly on TikTok.
None of us gets through the day without encountering anger somewhere, be it at work, at home, on the road, or even inside ourselves. Ryan Martin is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, and he specializes in anger. He’s written a book, Why We Get Mad: How to Use Your Anger for Positive Change, and given a TEDx talk, but a lot of people have encountered him through his @angerprofessor account on TikTok, where he shares interesting new research and offers advice on how to handle anger—and how not to.
In our conversation, Ryan and I discussed how his fascination with anger began, the positive sides of anger, how anger can fuel creativity (and how we can unintentionally sap that fuel). Ryan also tells me how he came to be curious about curiosity, which inspired him to revamp the way he teaches.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok!
"We can do hard things," as the saying goes—but we can also make it way harder to do those things than we have to. Hear how I learned this lesson and how you can make it easier to do the tough things on your list in this episode.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Urban fantasy author Sarah Fine, who writes psychological thrillers as SF Kosa, is a clinical psychologist as well as a novelist. As a result, she has a lot to say about the amateur psychology and observational skills writers tend to possess, as well as what she will and won’t do in portraying aspects of mental health in her books. In addition, we also talk about the psychology of the creative process, from artificial pressure to “write every day” to how the unconscious can do a lot of heavy lifting for us as we try to navigate a difficult question or creative block in our process…and even just why it is that characters often seem to escape the control of their authors.
Sarah’s latest book, The Night We Burned, comes out on August 10th.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Failure visits us all—and I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Failing doesn't have to be the end, and it definitely doesn't reflect our worth. It's actually a really important part of the creative process (and of growing/learning in general), so maybe we should start embracing it rather than fearing it.
If you'd like to be the first to hear when my new creativity toolkit becomes available, send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! I'd also love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas!
Eddie Louise, writer of the Sage and Savant audio drama podcast, has lived one of the most fascinating creative journeys I’ve ever heard. She has followed her curiosity from the libraries of Wyoming to undergraduate studies in Edinburgh and back to California, and absolutely none of it has happened in the way anyone is told a life story is “supposed” to unfold.
We talk about her first adventures with Shakespeare, the unexpected detour in high school, how she got to Edinburgh, and, of course, the genesis of Sage and Savant. There’s a lot here about daring to take chances and step out of the cave our society tends to want to tell us is the only safe place to be.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
If you're feeling stuck and don't know how to get moving again, this is the episode for you! There's a simple way to get your momentum back, and it's probably not what you expect. (It may even feel kind of insulting... but it works!)
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Kathryn Malek is an actor, writer, and coach. Kathryn started focusing on acting and writing as a young adult, studying with apprentices of Lee Strasberg before taking the leap into playwriting. We talked about those early experiences, the ways acting is viewed in our society as performers on demand or as people who “just pretend for a living”—and the truth of what goes into good acting, and how she uses her acting skills as a coach.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
If you're feeling stuck creatively, you may just need a change of scene. It doesn't have to be anything dramatic, though the bigger the change, the more potential!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
My guest this week is Michael Broussard, an actor, activist, musician, and artist. His solo show, “Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor,” uses his own experience to demystify and destigmatize abuse trauma while also giving his audience, which often includes fellow survivors, a chance to ask questions and open up about their own experiences in a safe environment. As you’ll hear, it’s a show that’s grown with its creator both in scope and content, and has also branched into the online world during the pandemic, reaching a far wider audience than ever before.
We also talk about living with trauma, processing trauma through art, and how Doctor Who fandom gave Michael a desperately needed social outlet, a chance to embody a role model, and more.
Trigger warning for sexual abuse.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Following on from last time, here are some thoughts on how to give feedback. Why is this important? For one, you really don't want to be the person who stops someone else's creative process. Just as importantly, though, you don't want to stymie yours! It really is THAT important.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Author Lydia Kang balances two careers: In addition to writing adult and young adult fiction, as well as nonfiction, she’s also a doctor. Lydia never thought of herself as a writer, though she was intrigued by writing, until she began to use it to deal with some of her experiences on the job, which eventually led her to try fiction. Her novels include The Impossible Girl and Opium and Absinthe, and one of the things we talk about today is how her nonfiction work has influenced her fiction. We also talk about writing about pandemics, her move from the East Coast to Nebraska, and how her writing and her medical practice balance each other out.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
You've probably never thought about protecting your creativity—but you should. It's one of your most valuable assets and resources, and nobody has the right to take it from you. (No one actually can, but it's easy for us to give it up if we're not careful.)
You can find my conversation with Tracy Matthews here.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Trudy Cunningham is one of the most insightful and creative people I've ever met. Her background in mathematics and education led her to the improbable position of associate dean of engineering at Bucknell University, which is where we first crossed paths. It's is also why I wanted to talk to her. She later moved to Sewanee, where her husband served as president and she continued to teach. As you'll hear, not only has she steadfastly refused to be told women can't teach math, she's just as consistently stood up for her students' best interests with parents, faculty, and university administrators. Her approach to problem solving is simultaneously practical and creative, and infuses her outlook on everything from teaching to aging. And she understands far better than most what makes people tick.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Inspired by a day of viral attention on TikTok, here's a reminder that you matter. Yes, YOU. That means your creative dreams matter, too. If that sounds crazy or alien to you, this episode is definitely for you!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Kimberly Stuart started writing when she became a stay-at-home mom, and hasn’t stopped since. As you’ll hear, her path changed dramatically thanks to a gift from her mother, who was a professional musician. She’s the author of eight novels, and has branched into writing coaching as well. Kim and I talk about the importance of validation and encouragement, remembering that you are not your work, the costs of creativity—and its rewards. We get deep into vulnerability and courage, too.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Do you feel like you have to be "ready" before you start something new? Are you even sure what "ready" would mean? I'm here this week to talk about why "ready" is mostly an illusion, and why you should start now instead of waiting for that illusion to magically become real.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
If you've been listening for a while, you know I believe there's hardly anything that's NOT creative, and I love to talk to people from so-called "non-creative" professions to find out how those perceptions are wrong. Accounting is not something most people associate with creativity—except in the familiar, negative sense—but I knew it had to be, so I contacted Lynda Schwartz. Lynda not only is an accountant but was a partner in a big-four firm’s fraud investigation and dispute services practice. She’s taken part in a wide variety of financial investigations, has served as an expert witness in associated court cases, and runs the forensic accounting curriculum at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She’s also my cousin.
Lynda set me straight right away on my very narrow idea of what accounting really entails, before moving on to what an accounting investigation looks like, how fraud usually happens, the role of an expert accounting witness in court, and what she’s learned from teaching at UMass. She also explains why she hates the idea of “creative accounting” with such a passion, and would prefer to think of accounting as a curiosity-based practice instead.
Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter—and while you're there, you can hear more about my Creative Revolutionaries program, which starts on May 5th! You can sign up for that program here.
If you're struggling to come up with ideas, this episode is for you! You might be surprised at the power of just paying attention. That may sound too easy, but if you really do it (and it's SO simple), you'll find unexpectedly interesting things all around you.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Tosca Lee originally wanted to be a ballerina, but ended up switching to writing with some help from her dad while she was in college. Since then, she’s become a bestselling author of a wide variety of books, including The Line Between and its sequel, A Single Light. Tosca talked with me about her early writing experience, how the Kindle has changed things for authors, and the eerie feeling of writing a fictional pandemic shortly before an actual one hits. (And the one she made up is even scarier than Covid!)
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
I'm offering a spontaneous hangout on Sunday at noon ET/9amPT and you're invited! Listen for more, and sign up here!
Welcome back for Creative Pep Talk #3! This week, we're delving into the deep, dark world of perfectionism. This is an overview of the evils of perfectionism, because to truly explore it would take more than 8 minutes, but I hope it'll get you thinking about how you fall into this trap, and what you might want to do differently to keep yourself out of perfectionism's clutches so you can enjoy your creative adventures instead of letting them torment you—because where's the fun in that?
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
My guest today knows what it’s like to believe you’re not creative. Lisa Townsend spent her first 27 years believing she wasn’t before having a creative awakening that led her to try EVERYTHING. We talk about what that looked like for her, and what she learned about fear, knowledge—what we have, what we don’t, and what we just think we have—and courage. These days, through her business, Change Your Badge, she uses what she’s learned creatively and professionally to help women get past their fear, shame, and overwhelm so they can run their businesses successfully.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
If you think permission slips are just for elementary school kids going on field trips, think again. Permission is absolutely vital to a healthy creative process. Listen for permission to give yourself permission!
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
My guest this week is opera singer Dale Travis, who has performed with companies all over the world in a career he never imagined as a child. Dale always loved to sing, but went to school for football. When an injury thwarted that plan, he auditioned for the choir, setting him on an unexpected path. We talk about his surprising leap to opera, how he lets the text and music teach him how to perform a character, the future of opera, and more. (And I promise you don’t have to be an opera fan to follow along!) Here’s my conversation with Dale Travis.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Welcome to the first in a series of creative pep talks—topics to help you get and stay unstuck in your creative process (aka your life). In this inaugural pep talk, I share my plan for these mini-episodes and tackle the age-old question of just who is creative—and why a lot of people believe they're not.
These episodes will come out every other week, alternating with my regular interview episodes (those aren't going anywhere!). I hope you enjoy them.
I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
The idea of "talking to God" may bring up images of saints or prophets—or a disconnect from reality. John Roedel fits in none of those categories. He's an improv comedian and poet who started writing conversations between himself and God as silly one-offs during a crisis of faith, only to find them becoming deeper and more insightful over time. One of his pieces from a few years ago went viral in the spring of 2020, to his great surprise, when the newly quarantined public found itself reflected in his words. John and I talk about being the family oddball, the perks and perils of "talking" with God (including readers' expectations), living your life according to "Yes, and..." and even enact that viral post for you.
Check out the show notes (including John's "Ten Seconds" video) at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Actor Richard Oliver has performed in film, TV, stage, commercial, audio, and even video games. He also directs for his own theatre and teaches acting. Richard has been named best actor by the New York City Indie Film Awards, and was a finalist for best actor from the Lockdown Festival. While we connected online thanks to the Minister of Chance, a Doctor Who spinoff audio series, we talk about everything from whether drama school is really necessary to the ways punctuation and breathing can help illuminate a character to the importance of having fun with whatever you’re doing—and everything in between. And we do also get into the birth of the Minister of Chance (both the character and the series) and its future.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Author Nancy Springer has written more than 50 books, in genres ranging from mythic fantasy to magical realism to mystery. Her most popular novels by far are the Enola Holmes mysteries, featuring Sherlock's younger sister, the first of which is now a movie on Netflix. Nancy has often said that writing saved her life, and our conversation gets into the nitty gritty of just what that means, as well as her "free-range" childhood, what works in a novel that doesn't in a short story (and vice versa), writing a novel with no idea where you're going, and more. (Warning: Nancy's very open about her history with depression and suicidal ideation in this conversation.)
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
This week, I’m bringing you a current teacher who’s a former colleague of mine: Lisa Houston, who started the drama program at the Pennington School and now serves as its middle school dean of students. Among other things, Lisa tells us how she rebuilt the drama program from the ground up, how it’s expanded over the years, what it’s like to take a group of high school students overseas to perform at a major festival, and how she’s seen theater impact the kids who participate in it, and even change lives. You'll also hear about the effect teaching drama has had on her life.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
For the holidays, I'm giving you the chance to discover, or perhaps rediscover, two of my favorite episodes from the past year. This episode, with Anthony Wilson, stands out to me for its depth and its raw honesty about the creative process, and where life can take us when we least expect it. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.
Anthony Wilson's varied pursuits almost all came to him accidentally: he is a teacher, composer, and writer—in fact, he co-authored the Doctor Who-related book BOOKWYRM with previous guest Robert Smith?. In this conversation, he shares his accidental path to teaching and writing, how he dealt with the worst criticism he's ever encountered as a musician, and what we can learn from kids. We also talked about the importance of structure and how YOU are the most important audience for your work.
Find show notes and links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
For the holidays, I'm giving you the chance to discover, or perhaps rediscover, two of my favorite episodes from the past year. This episode, with Alison Miller, stands out to me for Alison's absolute courage and determination to live life on her own terms, and the way life supports her in return. I hope you'll be as inspired by Alison as I have been.
Alison Miller describes herself as an uncertain adventurer and determined warrior goddess, and as you'll hear in this interview, she's earned both titles. Alison has lived on the road on her own since the death of her husband six and a half years ago, following her own inner compass the entire way. She's crossed the country eight times, carrying the names of those loved by people around the world on her pink teardrop trailer, seeking out love and adventure as she goes. She listens only to her own guidance, discovering that there are no mistakes that can't be corrected, and that love really is everywhere. Recently, she's been making a documentary about her journey, which she plans to show as she continues her travels.
If you've listened for a while, you know I have a VERY broad definition of "creativity," and the show is called "Follow Your Curiosity" for a reason. Kyle Fletcher is a different sort of guest—he specializes in educating others about spirits and cocktails—with a journey that's all about the curiosity. Kyle has allowed his enthusiasm for, and interest in, the beverage world to lead him down a path that has included learning how to learn about the field, channeling his interest in performance into his YouTube channel, and just plain letting his excitement run wild in a way that is infectious—even if you're not into whiskey, cocktails, or even coffee (I can say this from experience!).
Since we're in the festive season, if you're looking for some factoids to impress your friends, you'll find some here, too!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Paige Kaufman is an early childhood educator who went from teaching kindergarten to running a wellness center—all because she listened to the "nudge" telling her her it was time to do something different. A lot of us people would ignore that feeling, but Paige followed her curiosity into this new venture without knowing anything about starting a business. We talk about that journey, from the societal forces that make it difficult to follow that sense that we should do something we don’t expect, to the difficulty some of us have learning to trust again, to the fear of fear itself, to the things she still uses today from her kindergarten days.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
My guest today is Tracy Matthews, Chief Visionary Officer of Flourish and Thrive Academy and host of the Thrive by Design podcast. Tracy is a jewelry designer and entrepreneur who loves marketing. Even more than that, she loves helping other creative folks (and as we discuss, by “creative” we mean EVERYONE) get a handle on the business side of their work. If you’ve ever wondered how to make the leap from hobby to business, or if you’re struggling to find the balance between the work you love and the marketing end, you’ll get a lot out of this interview, including the importance of fun and protecting your creativity, how we often give up too quickly—but sometimes, if something isn’t lighting you up anymore, you may need to switch gears—and a lot more.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com and join the conversation on Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
What's your vision, or dream, for your life? Can you see it clearly? If not, you might want to consider making a vision board, and this week's guest, Angela Fareri, is here to tell us not only how and why creating a clear image for your life works, but how to make a vision board for yourself.
Angela and I also talk about how vision boards and journaling can work together (we compare a process called "scripting" to mindsculpting—a coaching tool I use), and we discuss similarities between vision boarding and the SoulCollage® process. It's all about empowering the imagination on this week's show!
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and share your thoughts with us on Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Anne Marie Bennett has had a varied career—she’s been an elementary school teacher, has worked in a theater, and a SoulCollage(R) trainer and facilitator. She’s written several nonfiction books about her journeys with cancer and about the SoulCollage(R) process, but this year, she’s published her first novel. She joins me to talk about her creative history as well as SoulCollage(R), the shift to writing fiction, her fascination with and research into how celebrity affects those who inhabit it, and of course, her new novel, DRAGONFLIES AT NIGHT.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Over the last two episodes, we’ve heard from Todd Evans and Rachel Marianno, a brother and sister who grew up in an unusually artistic home and both became artists themselves. This week, their younger brother Orrin Evans joins me to round out the family and talk about his experience as the much younger child was similar and different, and how it influenced his career as a renowned jazz pianist and leader of the Grammy-nominated Captain Black Big Band.
We talk about how he decided to leave college to pursue his career in music (and how his parents managed to walk the fine line of being supportive parents), how limiting his options forced Orrin to find ways to be successful—never more true than during the coronavirus pandemic—how the record industry has changed just over the last few decades, how the opportunity to visit other countries has changed him as a person, and a whole lot more.
Check out the show notes and links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
When your father is a playwright and your mother is a lyric soprano, you're unavoidably exposed to a creative outlook on life. This week is the second in a series of three episodes where we'll be hearing from three siblings from an incredibly artistic family, all of whom are artists themselves.
This week, I talk to Rachel Marianno, the middle sibling, a teacher, school administrator, and poet in Philadelphia. We talk about what it was like to realize she was "different" as a result of the environment she grew up in, why she decided to major in education rather than theater, and how she's been able to influence and support her students to follow their creative call. Rachel also shares a poem with us.
Next time, we'll round the set out with Rachel's brother Orrin Evans, of the Grammy-nominated Captain Black Big Band.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
When your father is a playwright and your mother is a lyric soprano, you're unavoidably exposed to a creative outlook on life. This week begins a series of three episodes where we'll be hearing from three siblings from an incredibly artistic family, all of whom are artists themselves.
We start with Todd Evans, the eldest sibling, a poet who has started several open mics in the Trenton, NJ, area, and also started the Don Evans Players, which performs his father's plays and other classics. We talk about what inspired him to start that group, how art came back to him after a period of addiction, and how his parents influenced him as a child and never lost their faith in him. He also graces us with a beautiful, brand-new poem.
Next time, I'll be talking to his sister, poet and school administrator Rachel Marianno, and we'll round the set out with his brother Orrin Evans, of the Grammy-nominated Captain Black Big Band.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com for details, including a video tribute to their mother (including some of her singing!), and share your thoughts with us on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
This week—this month!—I have the honor and pleasure of talking with actor Paul McGann. He started his career in the West End, moving to TV with the BBC’s Monocled Mutineer, and to film with the cult classic Withnail and I. His credits also include Horatio Hornblower, Luther, and the Dickens adaptation Our Mutual Friend, and he’s narrated numerous documentaries. All that said, he’s probably best known as the Eighth Doctor from Doctor Who.
In the second of two episodes, Paul and I talk about working in radio/audio, the way lockdown has changed recording audio, working with Richard E. Grant, his thoughts on Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, earlier roles in The Hanging Gale and The Monocled Mutineer, and why he left social media.
Check out the show notes and links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation about this episode on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
This week—this month!—I have the honor and pleasure of talking with actor Paul McGann. He started his career in the West End, moving to TV with the BBC’s Monocled Mutineer, and to film with the cult classic Withnail and I. His credits also include Horatio Hornblower, Luther, and the Dickens adaptation Our Mutual Friend, and he’s narrated numerous documentaries. All that said, he’s probably best known as the Eighth Doctor from Doctor Who.
In the first of two episodes, Paul and I talk about how his elder brother, Joe, steered him to drama school, the advice he was given early on, and, of course, how he came to be the Eighth Doctor—and what that role has taught him about himself, fandom, and the power of stories to influence our lives.
Check out the show notes and links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation about this episode on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Novelist Cindy Lynn Speer is one of my dearest writing friends. We met online years ago, and instantly bonded over our love of language and writing. We've never sat down and actually had a face-to-face conversation about writing, though—until now.
Cindy Lynn is the author of five novels and a short story collection. We talk about how she got started with writing, what she's done in the publishing world along the way to getting her own books into print, the myths and realities of our ideas around what's original and what isn't, who ideas "belong" to, and a lot more. Cindy's new book, The Key to All Things, is available on July 25th.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Darcy Wade is an expressive arts therapist who knows what it's like to be derailed from her creative dream. As you’ll hear, one simple incident in high school destroyed her artistic identity, leaving her adrift through college. A chance interaction brought her back to herself and got her on the expressive arts path. If you’ve never heard of expressive arts, don’t worry—she has you covered as we talk about her early life as an artist, how she was thrown from that path and how she got back on it, and how wilderness and expressive arts therapy can bring us back to ourselves.
Check out Darcy's art and links in the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
I couldn't resist this title for this episode, because it's true: Ryan Ward really did run away to join the circus. While that might sound silly, Ryan is wise beyond his years, having survived a deeply toxic relationship (which he discusses here), and reinvented himself, from changing his name to moving clear across the country to work as a circus performer and teacher. We talk not only about Ryan's history with the circus, but also about what he’s learned from his journey—how he interacts with his world, how he handles fear, and perhaps most importantly, how he determines what works for him and what doesn’t in relationships of all kinds, and how he handles the things that don’t serve him well. We also talk about what we're learning from this pandemic, and how it may catalyze change personally as well as globally.
Ryan's is a story of concentrated personal growth, especially in terms of the importance of taking care of ourselves first, and the wisdom and courage that come out of that growth. There's a lot to think about in this conversation.
Check out the show notes and links at fycuriosity.com!, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Zoha Abbas started her career as an advertising copywriter, and she’s here today to tell us how she got there, what it was like working for an ad agency (including the ups and downs of working with clients), and how she decided to take what she’d learned and help mere mortals figure out the best ways for them to market their businesses (as opposed to the ways everyone else says you have to do it).
We talk about everything from how creativity can be beaten out of us, the power of standing up for ourselves, how working in advertising both helps you develop a thick skin but also wears you down, and ways to get the word out about your next project without driving yourself crazy.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
You'd have to be living in a very deep, very dark cave right now to have managed not to hear about the death of George Floyd and the protests that have been happening across the country in response. A lot of people are making statements in response to these events, some better than others.
I wanted to take a moment to share my own observations, including where I'm coming from and where I hope we're all heading (with a little help from Trevor Noah's amazing "Born a Crime"). I'd really love to find a way for us all to come closer together rather than ending up farther apart.
You can find the resources I mention in my Instagram bio.
Alex Rudy started out drawing, and recording his own comic book audios, before taking a video production workshop in high school that led him to acting. While he took a few so-called detours along the way, everything he was curious about has factored into his creative life in one way or another, from being a wedding videographer to writing those childhood scripts, to using his drawing skills to bring his screenplay to life. Alex also has a podcast, The Artist Matters, where, like me, he interviews creative people. Alex is living proof that all you need to make things happen is start taking steps toward them.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Desiree Argentina does a little bit of everything—in addition to being a school counselor, she's a writer, a travel blogger, a film production assistant, a podcaster, and even runs a cat rescue. Several of these are things she's learned by doing them, finding people to mentor her rather than studying up beforehand, which has given her experience and community right off the bat. Desiree has a lot to say about not letting perfectionism get in your way, exploring what you're interested in, following your energy when choosing what to work on, the value of travel, and a lot more.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
If you're like a lot of people, you'll see this headline and want to run screaming, but I want to promise you that this week's conversation is anything but terrifying. Curtis Honeycutt, award-winning author of the Grammar Guy column that appears in more than 30 newspapers nationwide, has made it his mission to make grammar accessible and meaningful, not the stuff of high school nightmares. His book, Good Grammar is the Life of the Party, is a guidebook for the wary as well as the knowledgeable, and I think it's safe to call it the funniest grammar guide you'll ever read.
Curtis and I discuss everything from Noah Webster's influence on American spelling, what "style" is (and the AP vs. Chicago Manual controversy), where religious fundamentalism and grammar meet, why Curtis and I disagree on this next comma, and more in this interview. Good Grammar is the Life of the Party is available on May 1.
Check out the show notes to find out how to connect with Curtis, the Alot, and more. Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Kelly Abanda's journey sounds like a movie: a woman takes a risk, leaves her "good" job to travel the world for three months, and comes back three years later. Along the way, she makes unexpected connections, stumbles into opportunities, and oh, yeah—survives a few close scrapes. Kelly's a big believer in following the intuitive impulses that led her on this journey. Not only do we talk about her adventures abroad, we also talk about why people think they're not creative, and how giving up control can be a good thing. She also tells us how to get in touch with that intuition.
Kelly's latest intuitive endeavor is to help people adjust to the Covid-19 world of working from home. Check the show notes at fycuriosity.com for links to that project and more, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Alison Miller describes herself as an uncertain adventurer and determined warrior goddess, and as you'll hear in this interview, she's earned both titles. Alison has lived on the road on her own since the death of her husband six and a half years ago, following her own inner compass the entire way. She's crossed the country eight times, carrying the names of those loved by people around the world on her pink teardrop trailer, seeking out love and adventure as she goes. She listens only to her own guidance, discovering that there are no mistakes that can't be corrected, and that love really is everywhere. Recently, she's been making a documentary about her journey, which she plans to show as she continues her travels.
Alison Miller is a remarkable spirit, "Happily Homeless," as she calls herself online, and one whose story will stay with you for a while.
Check out the show notes, including links to Alison's Facebook group at fycuriosity.com,and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
In the last few weeks, as we've watched the coronavirus pandemic evolve, I've thought so many times of this interview from last year that I decided to release it again, off-schedule. If you missed it the first time, or are more curious now that we're hearing about statistics and mathematical models on the news so often, it's well worth another listen.
We think of creativity as something associated with the arts—dance, music, poetry, etc. That's why I wanted to talk to Robert Smith?, a mathematician who creates models that help improve disease control. He gained some fame a few years back for modeling zombie outbreaks—and that work has proven useful in the real world. Robert has also written several books about Doctor Who. If you're skeptical about math as a creative pursuit, or a math agnostic/atheist yourself (I hear you!), I promise you'll see things differently once you listen to this interview.
You can find show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Sam Kimberle, the founder of Creative Life Scholars, joins me this week to talk about how she got started leading groups of women toward their creative goals. We talk about how the factory-inspired education system deprives us of creative energy, how denying our creative call can fuel anxiety and depression, the power of groups to keep us on track (including doing those exercises in the books we read—the ones many of us tend to skip on our own), and the power and importance of giving ourselves permission to do our creative work and be who we really are.
Check out the show notes, including links to the Creative Life Scholars program and Sam's upcoming retreat, at fycuriosity.com. You can also join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram, and rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Michael Smith is a software engineer turned musician—or is it the other way around? He's worked for Google, Swiftkey, and fuboTV, all while staying active as a musician and actor on the side.
I wanted to talk to Michael about how he balances the two, and also about the creative side of coding, which sounds to so many of us like a highly uncreative activity. We also talk about just what an algorithm is, how he chose whether to focus on code or music, the mathematics of music, and why the delicate balance of math and music is so important to him.
Check out the show notes—including the Bach video he mentions—at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Katy-Rose Bye is a well-being teacher and reinvention mentor whose curiosity led her to earn degrees in psychology and neuroscience on her quest to understand everything she can about what makes people tick. She uses neuroscience, coaching and cognitive strategies to help her clients reinvent themselves without burning everything to the ground.
We talk about everything from how awareness and willpower work to the way your brain influences how you perceive how much you've eaten to how quantum mechanics may explain energy healing, and a whole lot more.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
As a young child, Rupert Goodwins was equally fascinated by science and gadgetry, and by the English language. He followed both into a career as a tech journalist, both in print--his weekly diary was one of the first blogs--and on radio and TV. He now co-writes The Big Data Show, a play that educates kids about data and hacking, and his BBC Radio 4 essay series, "Let There Be Dark," chronicles the loss of his eyesight and the process of adapting to it.
We talk about how he got hooked on technology, how Clive James influenced his writing, how to find a second (or third!) career path in midlife, the ups and downs of social media, and more.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
This week, I'm talking to Jennifer Nasta Zefutie, who has accomplished what many people think is impossible: she's a working actress, and the co-founder and co-producing artistic director of the Pegasus Theatre Company in Bordentown, New Jersey.
Jennifer has one of the most interesting (and unlikely) creative journeys you're likely to hear, and our wide-ranging conversation also covered loss aversion, why failure is essential, defining success for ourselves, and the theatrical improv rule of "Yes, and...," both as a creative principle and a way of life.
Check out the show notes and links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
At the beginning of a new year, many of us think about new projects we want to pursue before the calendar flips 12 months later—so I wanted to talk to someone who can help us make those projects happen more efficiently than they might otherwise. Kate Hutcheson, project manager and virtual assistant, is here to tell you how planning can be your friend rather than your creative enemy, with insights into how and why things work better with a plan—and the good news that your plan doesn't have to be written in stone.
We also talked about how our perceptions of our creative abilities can be skewed, how guilt gets in our way, and even how tough it can be to claim the word "creative" for ourselves in the first place. I think you'll find a lot to chew on in this conversation with Kate Hutcheson.
Check out the show notes and links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
For the holidays, my gift to you is a replay of one of the inaugural episodes of this podcast: my conversation with Dr. Kelly Flanagan, which I hope will inspire your creative pursuits for 2020.
Kelly Flanagan, clinical psychologist and author of Loveable: Embracing What is Truest About You So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life, joins me to talk about why following our creative dreams is a vital part of being true to ourselves, and how uncovering and embracing those dreams makes us more human and more whole.
Find show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Anthony Wilson's varied pursuits almost all came to him accidentally: he is a teacher, composer, and writer—in fact, he co-authored the Doctor Who-related book BOOKWYRM with previous guest Robert Smith?. In this conversation, he shares his accidental path to teaching and writing, how he dealt with the worst criticism he's ever encountered as a musician, and what we can learn from kids. We also talked about the importance of structure and how YOU are the most important audience for your work.
Find show notes and links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I'm replaying two of my favorite episodes from this past year. Domenic Sciortino isn't a name you're likely to have heard before, unless you live in York, Pennsylvania. He's an old friend of mine whose day job as a barber belies his experience with art and creative expression, which includes drawing, music, and a Beastie Boys tribute band called the Brass Monkeys. Dom's passion for the arts and his vocal advocacy for creative expression are inspiring and infectious.
Check out the show notes for this episode here, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Tracy Friedlander is a classical musician and host of the Crushing Classical podcast. Tracy and I talk about how she came to play the French Horn, what it's really like to audition for and perform in an orchestra, the largely untaught art of listening, and what happens when your musical dream turns out not to be quite what you wanted...and how musicians have started to make their own new paths outside the orchestra world. Even if you're not a musician, this is an inspiring interview for anyone who's felt like the existing paths don't fit them.
You can find show notes, including links to Tracy's podcast and artists she mentions, at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
My guest this week is Tara Sroka, a creative end of life planner who helps make this often taboo topic more welcoming and even fun. We talk about how her mother's passing continues to inspire Tara, ways to remember and honor those who've gone before us, taking fear out of the process, and how to use the idea of your own death to make your life more meaningful.
Check out the show notes and links for this episode here, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
My guest this week is Kristen Good, a graphic designer, branding expert, and life coach. We talk about perfectionism, self-worth, vulnerability, self-care, and the willingness to get out there and do what you love without getting hung up on the nit-picky, irrelevant details that often stop us from doing our creative work.
As always, check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Michelle Ward, aka the When I Grow Up Coach, has literally made a career out of staying true to herself, and helping others do the same. Michelle's dream from childhood was to be on Broadway, but after graduating from NYU's Tisch School and going to audition after audition, she realized to her dismay that it was not likely to happen for her. She decided she needed to find something that worked for her—that was true to her creative spirit and fed her soul—and that she wanted to help others do the same. She joined me to tell her story and how it's led her to something unexpectedly perfect for her, and what she learned along the way, from the power of authenticity when auditioning to figuring out what else might meet her creative goals when acting fell through.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Cat Kessler wants to bring more ritual and reflection to your life, and she's started a business called Opt Inward to help you do just that. She joins me this week to talk about how she discovered the importance of ritual in her own life, what modern ritual can look like and how we can fit it into our lives, where ritual and self-care intersect, the writing of Madeleine L'Engle, and what we can learn about spirituality, creativity, and ourselves from the book and new TV series Good Omens.
Find show notes at fycuriosity.com., and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
My guest today is a highly acclaimed mezzo-soprano who has sung a wide variety of music and operatic roles. She has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood, with conductors including Leonard Bernstein. I met D'Anna Fortunato when I was a junior at Bucknell; she joined us to perform Aaron Copland's "In the Beginning," which I also discussed with Dr. William Payn in our last episode. D'Anna joined me to talk about her own musical journey, including the difference between a university music program and conservatory, the value of doing your artistic homework, and what she's learned from teaching and encouraging the creative spirit.
I've included some links to her performances in the show notes at fycuriosity.com, so be sure to check them out!
Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Today’s guest has been an important part of my life, and a big influence. A composer of music for choir and handbells, a respected festival conductor, and a former professor of music and director of choral studies at Bucknell University, he’s my college choir director, Dr. William Payn. I spent four years singing for him in Bucknell’s Rooke Chapel Choir, where I learned more than just great choral music. We talked about his history with music, from childhood on, the experiences of conducting vs. composing, how to encourage people to do more than they think they can, and how a particularly memorable choral performance at the American Choral Directors Convention—a rarefied experience for us all—came to be.
Listen to us sing Aaron Copland's "In the Beginning," and two of Dr. Payn's compositions, at the links at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
As you know, I'm a big fan of following your curiosity, so you can imagine how excited I was to come across someone else who finds it as key as I do. That someone is Vicky Cook, a coach who focuses on helping woman 40-ish and above get through midlife doubts (dare we say crises?) and finally do the things they're really here to do. We talk about identity, especially when it comes to women who are moms, about and how curiosity can get us through rough times. Vicky also tells us how she found, and what she finds, in her somewhat unusual hobby (spoiler: she's a silversmith).
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Amber Petty attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, taught musical improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade, and starred in an off-Broadway show based on the 50 Shades books. She also discovered that the life she’d imagined and the one she was living weren’t the same, and shifted into writing. She also helps ordinary people build confidence about singing at SingADifferentTune.com. We talk about the realities of life as an actor; dealing with rejection (and whether that’s harder as an actor or a writer), how “overnight success” really works, why singing is such a vulnerable act, and more.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
David Spencer is the creative force behind the Mischief Factory, where he seeks to create fun and adventure through art and illustration. He recently illustrated a new children's book, The Epic Adventures of Huggie and Stick, and also draws his own clever characters as well as commissioned and fandom-based art.
Dave embodies the ideas of mischief and fun, and has more creative energy than almost anyone I've ever met. We talk about how he got started in illustration, as well as impostor syndrome, how he fits his art into his busy schedule, and how he interacts with kids, both to fuel his own work and to encourage theirs. (Dave is basically a big kid himself, which helps!)
Visit fycuriosity.com for full show notes and links for this episode, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Lela Rohrer Stech is an artist based in New York. Lela’s work is playful and fun, and so is she. (You’ll hear us talk about one painting I could see in the background, from a distance, and I’ve included a photo of that painting in the show notes at fycuriosity.com so you can see it, too.) In addition to her art, we talk about what she learned from living abroad, and how everything we learn somehow manages to come together in a useful way over time.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!
Adam Dietz grew up in small-town Pennsylvania, went to Westminster Choir College in New Jersey, and then moved to New York to seek his fortune on the Broadway stage. Things didn't go quite the way he'd planned. Adam and I talk about what it's like to audition in New York, how to survive even without your creative dream coming true—and the effects of making that sacrifice—and how you actually can come home again and find work that fulfills your dream, even if home is a rural area rather than the big city.
Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram! You can rate and review the show here. Thanks!