The Creative Exponent: Recent Episodes
Marian Parsons & Shaunna West
cre·a·tive ex·po·nent (noun): a person who believes in and upholds the truth of their creativity
Authors, Bloggers, Business Coaches and friends, Marian Parsons and Shaunna West launch their latest adventure, The Creative Exponent Podcast. They long to hold a conversation around all things creative, and encourage every person to discover, uphold, and share their creativity. To encourage you that you do have a creative voice to offer, and it is yours alone. To laugh with you. To be real with you...creativity is sacred. It is scary. And it is a gift.
You can find Marian and Shaunna continuing their passionate conversation around creativity and creative business at www.thecreativeexponent.com.
Podcast cover art exceptionally created by Gabriella Larson and Heidi Sellers. The Creative Exponent Theme written by A Walker Spring and performed by Elly Swope and Johann Wagner.
Hey podcast friends! This week our conversation was sparked by a book, Deep Work by Cal Newport, Marian is reading. So what is deep work? What is shallow work? We think these answers are personal to you, and the work you do. We chat about:Defining deep and shallow work in your life & the difference between the twoHow the online climate is pushing us to work in the shallows and we can struggle so much to work in the digital world, when so much of our work is deep.How we sense the shift of peers on social media platforms…we are all just a little tired of the pressure to show up on these platforms as a second (shallow) job on top of our deeper work.The permission we all have to share online as simply a way to share the work we actually do.The “soul tax” of social media platforms and their intended purpose (and it doesn’t have anything to do with growing your business).How to show up online in a way that feels authentic to you, so you can spend your days on the deep work of your life.Our creative contraption for the week: A Painter’s Color DiaryYou can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com, Marian at www.missstudardseed.com and Shaunna at www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
- 1 We’re back and talking about when life is bananasSo where have we been, what have we been up to, and what has been going on in our lives in the last year?? By the way, we can’t believe it’s been a year, we have MISSED YOU, but you’ll certainly get a better understanding into why it has taken this break to begin recording again. So when life is actually bananas…not just sort of busy, but very, very up in the air, where does our creative work go? Anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere, and all the seeds planted along the way for the future.Marian shares about her move and her six months in a boot barely moving and Shaunna shares a little about her year long custody journey, as well as their moments trying to appreciate the seasons they are in, how they have coped, the way they don’t have the answers, but ideas to help yourself ask the right questions that work for you.Our creative contraption for the week: Japanese Watercolor Brush Set with Brush Roll Up Holderhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B097MJTLQ8?psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=thecreati06de-20&linkId=fe195f1e7aaa24e91aabb489ed854ee8&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tlYou can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com, Marian at www.missstudardseed.com and Shaunna at www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
4.3 - Know What You Want Out Of Social Media Before Opening The App 1 by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West
4.2 - Say Yes, Life After The Death Of Dream With Scott Erickson by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West
3.23 - Cozy White Cottage Season & Blogs aren't dead with Liz Marie Galvan by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West
3.20 - Ruth Chou Simons & Creating A Market For Your Work by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West
This topic comes up a LOT for us in our mentoring group and Community, in conversations with other creatives, between ourselves...we are consistently talking through this and striving to navigate the weird world of social media in our own ways.
Todd Henry says, “Technology is really outpacing us.” We talk about this and why it is so difficult to show up as yourself, as you are, on social media and also why we all just can’t stop talking about it. How do we use it as a tool, and use it positively for ourselves, without absorbing all of the negativity of sameness, comparison, and simply not feeling like you or your work is enough.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
We love having guests...we love the rich conversation, and so do you guys. And when we asked Jena from A Spoonful of Faith one of many questions, “So tell us about your style,” her answer blew us away. “Your Style is Your Voice.” You will love hearing Jena’s story around the beginnings of her business, how she discovered her voice, and how she tries to use her platforms and work to bring beauty into the world and to bless others with positivity and goodness.
You can find Jena on Instagram @aspoonfuloffaith and her website https://www.spoonfuloffaith.com.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
It happens. You’ve gotten older. You’ve gotten wiser. You have so much experience, and a lot of it is good. Out of nowhere, it seems just like in our lives, we face situations and feelings within our business that force us to feel like it’s just not like it used to be.
After you have been in business for quite a while, there is simply more time for things to go wrong and to face disappointments. In the beginning, even though you may not be where you want to be yet, there is literally nowhere to go but up. Everything is fresh and new, and there is really only opportunity (or the hope of it) ahead. We talk about the mid-life crisis of a creative business and how we try to navigate it ourselves. It is normal, it is to be expected, and you most certainly can navigate through it as well.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
If the feeling of other humans helping you out sounds amazing right about now, today's podcast episode is for you. We said this recently on Instagram, "I think for us, it's probably the reason we fell into coaching other creatives outside of our own art and writing. We know what it means to be mentored well, and mentored wholly."
And boy, do we. We mentor each other and we've had other mentors. We get coached and we coach. Today's episode is all about the beauty of being a master and apprentice wherever you are in your creative/work journey. It's so incredible to lean on community and it's so incredible to provide it. We share a little bit about our Community opening on Friday, May 14, but more than anything we talk about why you need to be coached and why you need to pour out into someone else, too. This cycle is one of the best gifts you can give yourself as a creative.
If you want to know more about our Community opening on May 14, check it out here on our website: https://thecreativeexponent.com
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
The no’s are just hard. They are so hard, as a matter of fact. Getting a no can feel devastating, and it may take serious effort to move forward, but getting a no can also be a beautiful thing. We have both gotten so many no’s to opportunities, to pitches, to product lines...we have been there. Getting negative feedback & criticism, or even receiving a no is worth feeling. Feel the no. Feel the frustration and disappointment, and keep going. It may sound simple and a little fluffy, but believe us, allowing yourself to feel the no’s, and keep doing what you do is the way to move through them. This week we talk about some of our own no’s, and the ways we can all cope with them, learn from them, and be shaped by them.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
This week’s podcast episode was born from a conversation between us. Marian loves to create from a reference photo or from her love of old things. I love to create from my imagination, using past experiences and images in my mind. We think this is an important realization to have for yourself; after all, self-awareness is a powerful tool. We talk about identifying how you create, and identifying ways to expand your boundaries and try creating differently. Choosing self awareness in this way is choosing a path for growth in your creative work.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
3.6 - Listener Question - How To Create In Short Bursts Of Time by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West
Your studio. Your place to create and escape the world. Or is it?? Our studios often have to serve the rest of the house as well as our creative work. This week is for the design lovers, and the ones who feel like they just can’t quite get the studio “right.” Studio spaces, whether a table or desk or entire room, must be allowed room to breathe and room to evolve. It takes time to see what you need for the space to work FOR you, and not the other way around. We have both been in small and large studio spaces, and either way, it is a corner that really does have to evolve with time AND the evolution of your work. Oh, and it is totally worth the wait.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Episode 3.3 Creative Evolution with Emily Lex
We have both known Emily Lex for years...as a matter of fact, we all began blogging around the same time, and we just wanted to share a cool story with all of you. She is an Artist, Author, Journaler, and creative entrepreneur seeking to EVOLVE. Yessssss. We watched her business and blog evolve over the years, and it was freeing to watch.
We sat down with Emily, and heard the story of where her business and blog began, and how one day, she knew it was time to change it. To begin again...in a new way. I, Shaunna, personally, relate to her story 100%...as I had to do that very same thing. We hear her heart behind change, and allowing herself to evolve, expand, and pursue the things she knows to be hers to pursue...and we get some inside scoop on her new book coming out soon, Freely and Lightly. We hope you leave our conversation feeling with a strong desire to allow yourself to evolve creatively, over and over again.
You can find Emily at https://emilylex.com and on Instagram @emilylexstudio.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Welcome to Season 3 of The Creative Exponent Podcast!! We wanted to kick off 2021 with a bang, and today’s conversation stemmed from a session we taught our Mentoring group. A truth about productivity is this: It’s one thing to BE productive, and it is an entirely different thing to FEEL productive. You can be productive, accomplishing plenty, but if the obstacles in your way are making you feel unproductive, the tasks themselves can be irrelevant.
This episode will hopefully give you some ideas to be more productive, but hopefully, it will give you perspectives to feel more productive this year. We have found little tricks like the way we approach our lists, what we tell ourselves is priority, and avoiding the procrastination lies we recite internally, give us more energy doing less, and more intentional work.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Welcome to the Season Two Finale! While we will miss you guys, we also believe deeply in the value of downtime, and we’ll take a short break during the holidays. Don’t worry, we will be back in January with guests and more episodes lined up that will hopefully continue to help you discover, uphold, and share your creativity.
Today we are chatting about a topic near and dear to both of us. We have both done it. We have both learned ways to avoid it. We have both learned the value in sharing what we create vs. creating so we can share. In a sea of people making a living on social media, how can you do the work you love? We mean to emphasize you...how can you build a business around sharing the work and not building it around what you believe wants to be seen and shared? It is definitely an upstream course, but it is possible.
In today’s finale, we talk about the ways we know this matters, what we have seen it do to our own businesses and lives, and how we will keep striving to create what we want and share it next.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative. We’ll see you for Season 3 in January!
When we set out to talk to Mariele, the founder and jewelry maker behind Young in the Mountains (and also the rockstar woman who created Shaunna’s wedding ring), we had no idea what a treasure trove our conversation would be. We knew she was talented, but listening to her talk we found ourselves furiously taking notes and getting so worked up we could hardly sit still.
Mariele tells us the fascinating story of how Young in the Mountains came to be (even her business title has a beautiful backstory), the work it took mine and source natural stone, to get her here, running retail stores, managing wholesale lines, managing her full time team, and yes, still finding some time to make her one of a kind pieces. We loved hearing her perspectives on social media, on how to foster the team surrounding her, and building a brand around something bigger than simply herself. If you are starting a business as a solo entrepreneur, or want to, this episode is for you.
You can find Mariele and Young in the Mountains at https://www.younginthemountains.com and on Instagram @younginthemountains.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Join us today as we chat about all the things we had to learn to make The Creative Exponent Podcast. We really had to learn quite a few new skills to pull this venture off, and are still learning so much!
We also chat about all the funny little moments that happen unseen, like our constant yawning battles that begin on days we record multiple episodes, what we think about comments and suggestions from listeners, and our thoughts on keeping this podcast casual and relatable for the long haul. We hope you enjoy this little peek behind the scenes of our podcast we have grown to love so much!
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
This week we are joined by one of our friends and fellow bloggers, Michael Wurm, of the popular home decor and lifestyle blog, Inspired By Charm. If you haven’t heard of Michael, there is almost certainly a chance you’ve seen his work. His recipes and entertaining experiences are ALL over the internet, and his approach to what he shares is what draws us into his content over and over.
We chat about his wonderful story of buying a Bed & Breakfast, Old Charm, and how creating experiences for his guests gave him something to blog about….and how that blog then became his full-time career. Michael’s passion is creating approachable content that inspires people to create hospitable experiences in their own homes, and we talk about this, social media, hospitality, and more in today’s episode. We hope you leave as inspired as we did!
You can find Michael at his blog https://inspiredbycharm.com and on Instagram @inspiredbycharm.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Neither of us would consider ourselves hyper-scheduled or ritually rigid. However, we both have learned the value in instilling little creative rituals that help us get started, or keep going, or get inspired.
We chat about the importance of setting up a designated place for your creative practice, the time you choose to create, and the ambiance you surround yourself with. There is so much you can’t control in your environment, but setting some intention around these three areas can help move you into your creative routine even on the days you feel like you just cannot muster it.
Shaunna’s Studio Vibes Playlist:
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/studio-vibes/pl.u-55D6XY1t8gmbr9
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, maybe Janelle’s photos aren’t worth a thousand words, but they do tell the story of how much she loves color and how it shaped the course of her now hand-dyed textile brand.
And maybe the best part? This all started after her year abroad in Italy, as she searched for a refrigerator on Craigslist, and wound up buying a business instead. And the rest, as they say, is history. We chat about drive, adapting, funneling your energy into projects you really love, and the art of being a little scrappy to get where you want to be.
You can find Janelle at https://tonoandco.com and on Instagram @tonoandco.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
As creative entrepreneurs, it is pretty common to have seven plates spinning at once. Because our income relies on us consistently producing, we tend to tell ourselves we cannot take time off to rest, or to take a break from certain tasks. None of us ever begin our journey of creative entrepreneurship by telling ourselves we want a job where we can never take a day off. Because we don’t have employers, these fears and rules are self-imposed. BUT, bonus...this means these fears and habits can be self-corrected.
We have to see if what our minds construct as a possibility is a real outcome in reality. Taking time to rest or to take breaks from specific projects usually brings with it more productivity, fresh perspectives, and new ideas...not the other way around. We hope this episode encourages you to listen to yourself. To take breaks when you need to. To take vacation days when you need to. To rest when you need to, so you can continue doing work you love for the long haul.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Today’s episode is such a treat. NYT Bestselling author Myquillyn Smith joins us today to talk about her new book, Welcome Home, her love of the generosity of women on the internet, how her business came to be and how she continues to shift and adapt to continue pursuing work she loves. We chat about her unapologetic attitude towards making a home that works for YOU, how to avoid falling into the trap of doing work that everyone else is doing, and how she hopes to continue evolving and all the while, staying true to the work that brings her the most life.
You can find Myquillyn on her website https://thenester.com and on Instagram @thenester! You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Talking to creatives is our favorite, and this one is a treat. Chloe of Boxwood Avenue joins us this week, and she is just as passionate about sharing value and insight with her audience as we are. While it isn’t our traditional podcast conversation, we were dying to hear the story of how this city girl came to live on a ranch and build such a unique life, all while building a creative business career around her passions and hobbies! We chat about the story of how Boxwood Avenue (the ranch life and business) came to be, continuing to pursue new dreams and ventures, and the world of Instagram and Design. We know you will love this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!
You can find Chloe on her website https://boxwoodavenue.com and on Instagram @boxwoodavenue!
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
We know. This topic can be one to scoff at. Defining success for yourself sounds like a really fluffy, cliche topic. The truth, though, is this: defining what success really looks like for you impacts the choices you make as a creative entrepreneur every single day. And the other truth is this: we have to continue defining what success looks like for us all along the way.
With so much pressure coming at us through the lens of social media, and what perceived success looks like for others, we must find some kind of destination with places to stop and enjoy the view along the way. Considering what success looks like for you also means inviting in the responsibilities and downsides that might come in different phases of success. This week we’re chatting about the reasons we believe it is so important for us to define our own success and why it’s not cliche at all.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
The Creative Exponent podcast returns this week with a bang, great conversation, and an incredible guest. Heather Bullard is an Editorial Prop Stylist, Creative Director, Producer, and Business Coach - with more than a decade of experience, and on top of all of that, she believes deeply in pursuing your own creative path & creating a rich, fulfilling, career built around the things you care about. Yes, she’s our kind of woman.
We chat this week about styling and photography, creating classic looks and branding experiences that stand the test of time, as well as how to combat the “sea of sameness” on the internet and why it’s so, so important for us as creatives.
You can find Heather at www.heatherbullard.com and on Instagram @heatherbullard.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
How can we take care of ourselves creatively? Making time for it is a huge start. But how do we do that? How do we keep our creative time a priority and more importantly, how can we protect how we feel about our creative work?
How can we avoid burnout and the angsty feelings of “not getting enough done?” What kinds of things can we do to promote creative self-care? This week, we’re talking about what works for us, talking about how we approach our schedules and grace, and how we try to invest in ourselves to keep going.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
You’re a creative entrepreneur. You wear a million different hats. And chances are, because you are opportunistic and optimistic or financially motivated, you wind up saying yes to everything. And while sometimes we have to say yes to more than we’d like, the goal is to move into the place where we can become discerning, and say no to the good to make room for the best.
Saying no is golden. Saying no when something is not a “heck yes!” is essential to save room in our businesses and in our lives to GROW. We’ve both been there, and this week we talk about two or three instances where we have had to say no in big ways to pave the way for the better opportunities for our businesses or to provide more thriving in our lives.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Once you have determined what matters to you and your brand, THEN we can begin to build a vision. So often, as solo entrepreneurs, it feels a little lofty to create a vision. But knowing where we are going matters. The unearthing of your vision matters. Your decisions, your yes’s, your no’s...will all stem from here.
Dreams and ideas are singular, not necessarily tied to a holistic picture. A goal is trackable and actionable. A VISION is the picture of your true north. Where am I actually going, long term? Vision is an encompassing view of what you want to cultivate AS you accomplish your goals and dreams. The other truth about vision? It can be simple. It does not have to be a world conquering, consuming picture. Even in its simplest form, vision is impactful and empowers the way you and your business move in the world.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Ahh, growth and social media. You rarely hear a conversation about Instagram, or any other social media channel, that is not synonymous with growth.
And while we know growth does matter as it relates to our creative businesses, this is not a “5 steps to grow your Instagram” podcast episode, but rather, a totally honest, exploratory conversation between friends, one with a large audience and one with a smaller audience. How it works for us, what the frustrations are, the good stuff...what matters and what really doesn't.
There are important questions to consider like: How does growing your Instagram account impact your business goals in the short term? Long term? What are you really reaching for? Growth for community? Growth for eventual financial stability? Could it be growth matters because there is pressure simply to have a large audience? Putting a name to why we want to grow matters as much as growth itself.
A Compiled List of Key Areas for Instagram Growth in 2020 Referenced in Today’s Episode:
IGTV series Collaborate with brands and others Longer captions Post more videos Post more selfies Cross-promote IG to your other platforms Use #s Create memes Develop & maintain a brand Participate in trending topics/conversation Run a contest/giveaway Monitor people who tag you Quality over quantity with grid posts Use IG stories Create your own #s Geotag location Tag friends & brands Post pretty photos Socialist and comment
Tools/apps Planoly Onlypult Tailwind Facebook Creator Repost for Instagram
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Sometimes we launch a creative business by accident of sorts. Sometimes the business shifts drastically. Sometimes, as creative entrepreneurs, we long to change or further develop the vision of our business. This week, we talk through the first part of building your vision. Think of your vision as the “could’s and should’s.” We talk about setting up your core values, non-negotiables, and must-haves. Who are you? Where are you willing to go? What needs to be at the heart of your business?
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Additional Note: You can find the work of John and Ashely Marsh (mentioned in the episode) at www.marshcollective.com.
We would argue that everyone is creative, and we give you some more reasons to believe us this week. But just in case you’re still on the fence, we talk about practices for the “non-creatives” out there. What are some small, simple ways to shift your perspective or maybe open up the creative work or hobby you had to sideline some time ago? We chat about these this week, and talk about the ways we have used these exercises to stir up our creative juices again and again.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
You’ve started this business. You’ve bought the domain, or rented the space or listed your products on Etsy. You are going to do this. Reality sets in and we begin the process of beginning our business, and often, we get bogged down in simple mistakes that shape the very nature of our creative work pursuit.
We don’t promote our work because it feels a little too sales-centered. We isolate ourselves and keep ourselves alone and outside of a like-minded community. We don’t treat our businesses like a business because it is easy to be distracted or to say yes during work hours. Believe us, we understand. This week, we talk about the mistakes we creative entrepreneurs make when we begin their businesses, and as we move forward. We still make them. There are ways to combat these mistakes, and ways we have learned to navigate through them. We hope this week leaves you feeling understood (we’ve all been there), and encouraged to look at these mistakes we can make with fresh, creative eyes.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
If there is one thing we have learned about creative work, it is this: You just don’t have to do it alone. Being the CEO, COO, CFO, Creative Director, and every employee can be a little difficult to juggle, and while we all might be capable of multitasking, the needs we have as a creative business owner reach further than the tasks. The other thing we know is this: It is good for you to have other voices speak into your business and to give you a fresh perspective. While your own voice should be the loudest, giving a community of people permission to give you new ideas or new approaches, collaborations, or just plain encouragement is NEVER a bad thing.
This week we talk through all the reasons why we believe creative community is important, why The Creative Exponent began with community in mind, and the ways you can become a part of it. More than anything, we just want you to have community around you as you walk through your creative journey, whatever it looks like!
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Working from home. What a gift and a challenge. We certainly know all about it, as both of us have worked from home for the last ten years. It can be a complete joy and almost impossible, depending on the way you approach setting up your space.
This week we talk about setting up your creative workspace at home: What does the space need to look and feel like to be conducive to creativity? What’s the top priority in the space? Does everything in the space give the space the chance to function for its highest and best use? And lastly, what kind of boundaries need to be set around the space...and you?
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Weddings and Happy Mail. Sometimes we just need to talk about the good stuff. This week Shaunna and Marian talk about two good things surrounding us right now. Shaunna gets married, quarantine-style, and talks about why they decided to move forward during this stay-at-home time, and what really matters.
We also share some ways you can spread a little light around the world right now with the Happy Mail Movement. Marian began receiving happy mail from different friends and shops and is spreading the love. Drop a little something in an envelope and tag it #happymailmovement so we can see and share. Let’s take this time to start a movement with all the good feels!
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Right now, as a creative or a creative entrepreneur, it is really tempting to ask the question, “What do I need to be for people right now?” We would say resoundingly, be authentic. We owe it to honor ourselves first as creatives and what we choose to share can come forth from who we really are. To create is to share your humanity. Your experiences give you a unique perspective on universal needs, problems, and feelings.
This week, we talk through how we can be trapped or liberated by what we choose to share. As long as what we share online or anywhere else is authentic, it is always freeing. And by doing so, we give others the permission to do so as well.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
How do we use inspiration without imitating? And how do we use this time we have right now at home to work for us. The language spoken in different art mediums often relates to what we do, and also brings with it fresh perspective and renewed inspiration. This week we’re talking about an article we both read by Stylist Heather Bullard, “How To Be Inspired.” We break down a few practical ideas for how to pull inspiration from many different sources, ways to play creatively to discover some new ideas or creative energy, and also how this time of forced stay can be a time for us to become truly inspired, despite the oddity of our days.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
This week the separation we are all feeling has hit us harder, as women and as creative business owners. Quite simply, while we have seen such pain, loss, and difficulty, we are continually amazed at the good we find in this world, today, amidst it all. We know that without finding this good, we will be lost and certainly less able to create and use our creative gifts for ourselves, our families, our customers, and this world. We talk about all the ways we are staying positive when we can and little ways and places you can find it, too. The good is what carries us. Long live it.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
We believe this to be true: creative work is beauty in the world. We are living in crazy times right now, and there is much fear, anxiety, and uncertainty around us. As creatives and creative business owners, how do we navigate through this fear and these circumstances? We do not have all the answers, but we hope to talk through this with you this week, because we need each other.
Here’s what we do know: the work we do matters, and it matters right now more than ever. As fear and uncertainty surround us, we are able, in moments, and with respect, to bring beauty and light to those around us. We are very seldom stopped by big, bold, neon signs flashing fear, but by subtle moments of doubt and insecurity that stem from fear.
“I’m not nearly as good as she is” “I can’t do that; I’ve never been good at that” “It’s pushy for me to ask people to support my business right now in these circumstances.”
This week, we talk about facing this big fear and subtle fear, and why it matters for you to continue doing your creative work. To share your unique perspective, to remember that it is the art we save, to offer reprieve, to bring light and beauty into the world. We hope you leave bolstered and with the resolve to keep on going. To keep sharing your creative gifts in this world.
You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.
Who doesn’t love a good brainstorming session? There is beauty in pursuing multiple avenues of creativity, but equally, there is power in learning to say no to yourself. Editing is one of the most important steps you will take in sharing your creative work with the world. What isn’t there is often what makes your work stand out and successful.
Our creativity shifts and if you are into a whole lot, you may find yourself in more need of editing than those who hone a single craft their entire lives. This week Marian and Shaunna talk through all the reasons saying no to yourself is powerful, how you can begin this practice, and why it can change everything for you and your business.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
You make things. You create this art for people in your life. Maybe it began as a hobby; maybe it was a work you wanted to pursue and you had children, or started a 9 to 5 you cannot walk away from just yet. And you hear it: “You should sell these.” Turning your creativity into a business is often worth the risk, but the choice to take something you love and turn it into an income producing machine does come with responsibility and even pressure.
This week Shaunna and Marian talk through questions to ask yourself before you take the leap. To help you evaluate how ready you are, the negatives that might come along, and the positives that can outweigh pressures that do arise. This is not a checklist. This is a conversation to have with yourself before you step into the world of creative business or encouragement for you as you continue to grow the business you run.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Snippet 4 - Journal Prompts To Build Creative Resiliance by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West
If we decide we have all the answers in this life, that is then the end of our road. There is nowhere to go, nothing new to do and see and be. There is no wonder. For creatives, there is such rigidity to this way of thinking and our work will suffer. When we remain teachable, it leaves us with a willingness to learn, change, and grow.
This week Shaunna and Marian encourage us to create with curiosity, to recognize there are other ways to look at the world. There is always more to learn. Remaining teachable can truly take our art to interesting and exciting places when we learn to look beyond our own borders.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Wounding happens to all of us, in every way. It happens to us at home and at work, and it happens to us creatively. So what is creative wounding? It is anything that deters you from doing something creative you love that is outside of a reason you choose for yourself. It may be a word spoken over you as a child. It may be blatantly negative or incredibly subtle. And when it happens, we sometimes give over the ability to choose that “this” is something that we will even try to do.
This week Marian and Shaunna talk about what creative wounding is, how we see it show up in our lives, and the ways we can overcome it as we pursue our creative work.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Observing and creativity go hand in hand. There is such importance in slowing down and being observant. This week Shaunna and Marian talk about how much harder this is due to all the digital distractions we have at our fingertips. They still contend there is power in sitting on a bench to enjoy being outside, or to watch a couple walk through a park. To simply be. We all need to just be able to sit, to breathe deeply, to be truly present. To revel in Intentional quiet.
The gift of bring present brings is experiencing life, which breathes just that into your creative work: life. It gives us the chance to reside in a place of flow versus tension. This practice will make a huge difference in the way we view the world and THAT makes a huge difference in the way we create art.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
This week’s episode of The Creative Exponent welcomes its first guest, Artist, Author and Workshop Connoisseur, Jeanne Oliver. Shaunna and Marian ask her questions surrounding her own creative journey, and find out what makes this creative entrepreneur and teacher tick. Jeanne shares her first creative memories painting on the carpet as a child, protecting herself from her inner critic, and the impact of words spoken over us that can become a part of our own narrative that limits us. She addresses us all, and leaves us with words of wisdom to start ameteur, to pursue what we feel drawn to, and to leave our mark on the world in our own unique way, through practicing, over and over again.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
You can find Jeanne at https://jeanneoliver.com where she sells her own original art, leads and facilitates loads of digital and physical creative workshops, and shares her own creative journey with her audience.
Asking why is important. The “why” matters. But what if asking “why not?” is equally important? Asking why not forces you to face the fears and insecurities behind why you don’t do it...because often the why not is just that: fear.
This week Shaunna and Marian talk about finding a balanced approach to asking ALL the questions we need to when trying something new creatively or for our creative work. Asking why not is not flippant or reckless. Looking at the answers to our “why not” does, though, bring awareness.
To help us look at the worst case scenario in our minds and decide if we will face it anyway. Making decisions from a place of fear in our creative work is just as emotional as making them from over-excitement. We are looking for the balance...where fear turns into caution and dreams turn into vision.
What does it mean to be creatively resilient? Today, Shaunna and Marian are talking about creative resilience, and the knowledge of how much it is needed for us as creatives. And more than needing it, they realize creative resilience is a practice, rather than simply a skill we learn once. Sometimes it is easy, and the resolve we find in ourselves spills out naturally. And sometimes, holding on to the fortitude in us to keep creating, to keep going, to keep sharing our work vulnerably...feels impossible. They talk about how they practice resilience, why they feel like it matters for us all, in our lives and in our creative work.
Welcome to season two of The Creative Exponent Podcast! Shaunna and Marian are so excited to be back for another season to chat about creativity. To kick off 2020, they’re talking about the dreaded R-word… Resolutions. Creative Resolutions, to be more specific. And, if the R-word doesn’t have a good reputation with you, Marian & Shaunna unpack the difference between dreams and goals and share some encouragement and resources to help you set your own attainable goals. If you’re ready to see some forward progress in your creative journey, this episode is for you.
In the season finale for The Creative Exponent podcast season 1, Shaunna and Marian explore the creative frontier! Why is it important to continue to look to the horizon to see what is outside of your comfortably settled territory? Creative exploration is important for the soul and for the creative community as a whole. We need to go beyond creating in our carefully manicured suburban plot and get out into the wild to see what can be discovered there. Let’s be brave and curious…
It is just simply difficult to truly unplug and give ourselves enough rest creatively. Pressure, stress, the to do list...all of these things eventually lead to some form of burnout. Doing creative work we love is no exception. This week Marian and Shaunna talk about their own seasons of extended burnout, and how often it can be tied to turning the creative work we love into an income producing business, lack of rest, lack of unplugging from the “audience” before us. They talk about how unplugging is a choice long before it becomes a habit, and how we can try to avoid burnout and how we often brush over the real issues causing it. They talk about how to truly deal with burnout as it inevitably comes, and how to try to navigate through it as quickly as possible.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Ahh, copycats. In creative work, running across someone doing exactly what you have done before is an inevitability. And while there are some cases where the copying is less of a compliment and more along the lines of trademark infringement, often the truth is there is nothing new under the sun, and the copying itself is actually a compliment. This week Marian and Shaunna talk about how they’ve dealt with copycats, and how mostly, they try to choose to keep their blinders on and continue focusing on the work. They talk about the difference between found inspiration and copyright infringement, and how you can gracefully deal with both.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Creativity and the word schedule don’t often go hand in hand. But Schedule doesn’t have to be a dirty word for creatives. It would be a wonderful world if creative genius would strike us over the head every single day, but often, it finds us working, and in our normal day to day routines. This week Marian and Shaunna talk about their own schedules and how creativity realistically fits in, and how you can build a schedule for creativity that works for you in your lifestyle, as is.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
How in the world do we keep creating when life just goes SIDEWAYS? When it feels like there are more things going wrong than going right...by a long stretch.
How does creativity fit in then? Or our creative work? Marian and Shaunna each talk about some of the challenges they are battling right now in life.
How it is simply a reality that we will face heightened stress and pressure as well as serious trial in our lives. How do we continue to create in the midst of a bonafide dumpster fire? How can we stay centered and motivated when life is just a mess? To find a way to keep creating, even sparingly, so that you are still you in the middle of all the stuff.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
There is such a tempting habit in today’s world of instant feedback. How easily do we get sucked in to sharing our work online, only to hover over what we publish like the best of all helicopter moms? We publish, and we check comments. We scan likes, followers, feedback. All day. If we own a creative business or share our creative work, do we have to be aware of the response to our work? Sure. Of course. This week Marian and Shaunna talk about the difference between awareness of the “public response” and the obsession that can so easily become the driving, reactionary force behind our creative work. Can we create tension between awareness and obsessively checking on engagement to validate the quality of our work? They say absolutely yes, and encourage you to keep yourself centered around what you do best...creating.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Do you feel like your life is too normal, too boring, too typical, too ordinary to have anything interesting to say? Shaunna and Marian have heard this as an excuse time and time again as an argument against sharing stories, creations, and thoughts with others. “I just don’t have anything to say.”
The beautiful truth is that we all have something to say. Even if you are a plain Jane suburban housewife soccer-mom with 2.5 kids and a dog, you have something to say. And, believe it or not, other people want to hear what you have to say. In today’s episode, we explore this topic and offer encouragement to anyone who feels ordinary.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Procrastination. The inevitable word all creatives eventually face. This week, Marian and Shaunna talk about all the subtle ways we can make ourselves busy as stall tactics. Procrastination for creatives is not always an obvious putting off of our responsibilities, because our to do’s also FEEL like action. They talk about the most common procrastination tools and how they usually stem from negative feelings about your and your business. They go a step further and ask, “Where do these tools come from? Why are we actually procrastinating?” Often, we procrastinate when we feel stagnant, discouraged, or insecure in our creative work. How do we move through this, and get ourselves back in a place of good habits and less procrastinating?
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
What happens we experience success as creatives? Success can be a catalyst for more success, but it can also, very subtly and unintentionally, create a set of unspoken expectations we place on ourselves and our creative work. This week, Marian and Shaunna talk about this reality, and share their own personal stories of how the best of their past has been the enemy of their present good. How those nagging questions can sneak up on us….”Maybe my best ideas are behind me.” “Maybe I’ve done my best work.” “How can I possibly recreate that moment in time again and again and again?” They are in this with you, and share how they have moved through and around these paralyzing doubts surrounding success or even periods of ease in their creative pursuits and business. We can move around these blocks, if not through them entirely.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Based on a creative biography exercise from the book The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe, these mini-episodes were born. Marian and Shaunna share their own creative biographies, and a lot of laughs, honest, off-the-cuff answers, and truth telling around each of their creative journeys.
In this mini episode, you’ll hear Marian and Shaunna answer questions like:
When confronted with superior intelligence or talent, how do you respond? When faced with stupidity, laziness, hostility, or indifference in others, how do you respond? When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you respond? When you work, do you enjoy the process or the results? At what moments do you feel your reach exceeds your grasp?
They hope you leave this series feeling connected, understood, and a little lighter as you tackle living out your own creative biography.
Creative Biography Exercise credited to The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Marian and Shaunna relive their brainstorming weekend of developing The Creative Exponent and share the moment where Marian “stroked out” creatively. We all do it. We are plugging along with our creative work and out of nowhere, we hit a wall. One of the worst things we can do when hitting these walls is to try to push through it because of deadlines and pressures, both externally and internally. Marian and Shaunna talk about how they deal with their own walls, developing your own strategies, and tools we can all use to push through the ups and downs of our creative inspiration.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Based on a creative biography exercise from the book The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe, these mini-episodes were born. Marian and Shaunna share their own creative biographies, and a lot of laughs, honest, off-the-cuff answers, and truth telling around each of their creative journeys.
In this mini episode, you’ll hear Marian and Shaunna answer questions like: What are your habits and what patterns do you create? Describe your first successful creative act and one word attitudes towards money, power, praise, rivals, work, and play. Who are your favorite artists?
They hope you leave this series feeling connected, understood, and a little lighter as you tackle living out your own creative biography.
Creative Biography Exercise credited to The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
It is really simple to feel like creative work is scarce. We struggle to find and hold our own place in the world, to hold our own space creatively. Do you believe that there is a limited amount of success, joy, love, or creativity in the world? This week Marian and Shaunna talk about how easy it is to fall into the trap of getting stuck in a mindset of scarcity, which can ultimately destroy our creativity and keep us in a toxic place. Shaunna shares her own story of abundance to scarcity, and back to abundance again. When we are living in a mindset of scarcity, we become a part of what limits us. Can we break into a mindset of abundance to free ourselves and our creativity? Can we, in a very physical way, own our own place and share our creativity around us?
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Based on a creative biography exercise from the book The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe, these mini-episodes were born. Marian and Shaunna share their own creative biographies, and a lot of laughs, honest, off-the-cuff answers, and truth-telling around each of their creative journeys.
In this mini-episode, you’ll hear Marian and Shaunna answer questions like: What’s the best idea you’ve ever had? What is the dumbest? What is your creative ambition? What are the obstacles to achieving that creative ambition? What are the vital steps to you achieving that ambition?
They hope you leave this series feeling connected, understood, and a little lighter as you tackle living out your own creative biography.
Creative Biography Exercise credited to The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Thinking of taking your creativity and turning it into a business? There are a few things you should be doing first. This week Marian and Shaunna talk about the things you should be doing before you expand into the world of creative business. They talk through the lessons learned, and what they would say to themselves about a decade ago. They would tell themselves, and you, to create privately for yourself, to decide if you REALLY want this to be a business, to establish your why to create filters for yourself, and to set it up properly from the get-go. Some of these seem intuitive, but as creatives, we often skip over some or all, and these are vital for our internal satisfaction as well as our early success as entrepreneurs. They share personal stories and laughs, and Shaunna’s dog makes a guest appearance, all in the hopes you leave with questions to ponder before you take the leap into your own creative business, or that you have the opportunity to revisit them again.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Here’s a little secret to spill. Those numbers you’re looking at to tell you that you are doing good work...those numbers are people. This week, Marian and Shaunna talk about analytics and the numbers, and while we have to be aware of them, we cannot be controlled by them as creatives. They pose questions for us to consider: Are we looking to the numbers for worthiness and validation When are the numbers enough? How much more genuinely will we share our work and creative voice when we put faces to the numbers we use as our personal rating scale? They remind themselves and us all to see the numbers as what they truly are, a gift to each of us. To remember these numbers are people, walking alongside us as we build our body of creative work.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
Have you ever been paralyzed to begin a creative pursuit because everything isn’t just quite...perfect?
Marian and Shaunna talk about the realities of waiting until everything is perfect for you to get moving and how much the creative process needs a little freedom. Marian shares a personal story of her own and you hear the benefits of allowing people to join you along your journey. They encourage you to be practical, sure, but to give yourself a little grace to begin before everything is in exactly the right spot. And in doing so, you will knock one of the most important things off of your creative to-do list: You will begin.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
So now you’ve decided you are creative and you want to protect and foster it...now what? This week Marian and Shaunna wrap up the introductory episodes to The Creative Exponent and talk about the realities of sharing your work, with a small or large audience. They chat about the importance of developing a thick skin, and how the benefits largely outweigh any downsides of sharing your creative work. They talk through strategies to help you face criticism or negative feedback and encourage you to, once again, be the owner of your creative voice.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
This week Marian and Shaunna chat about the next foundational piece of your creativity: Upholding it. They laugh about Shaunna’s “failed” Pinterest birthday cake, and how her daughter reminded her that she was the one teaching her to go for it and try new things.
Out of the mouths of babes, right? They are real about how easily we criticize ourselves, and how belief in ourselves is a practice, and one that takes time and intentionality. How fine the balance is of allowing feedback in and learning how to release it when it no longer serves your creative expansion. They encourage you to uphold your creativity, you have to own it, protect it, and foster it. That this creativity is yours to have and yours to give...no one has the power to take that away from you.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
This week Marian and Shaunna delve into busting the myths surrounding creativity: you’re not creative, you aren’t good enough, and that creativity is only for kids, actors, and artists. They argue the case for YOUR creativity and share their beliefs that creativity is for everyone and should not be contained inside of a box. They share silly stories of their childhoods, and how our upbringings can shape our definition of creativity, while sharing their own insecurities and roadblocks along the way. They hope this episode gives you the courage to find creativity within yourself and to blend that creativity into your world every single day.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.
This week Marian and Shaunna introduce the idea behind The Creative Exponent, and their hope for you to allow your creative voice to shine through and to own its place in the world. We chat about the root of the creative, and how they move through this world, and multiplying your creative efforts, whether in a creative business or living your best creative life. You will hear stories of how they each started small, and how their dabbling in creativity led them here to this new passion of helping other creatives discover, uphold, and share their creativity.
You can find Marian and Shaunna at www.thecreativeexponent.com where they continue their passionate conversation around all things creative.