The Time is Right: Living A Creative Life: Recent Episodes
John Davis, Kevin Fellows
Conversations about living a creative life. Whether you're a musician, writer, artist, knitter, or gardener, life is better when you make time for creative expression.
Like those days in school where we're asked to write about what we did over vacation, John and Kevin discuss what they learned last year about their own creativity, and how they plan to apply those lessons this year. This is an activity every creator should do. By reviewing and evaluating what's working and what isn't, we move our creativity forward and keep the energy flowing. When the flow isn't there, it could be because we haven't dropped habits that hold us back.
Oh, and you get your money's worth in this episode. It's a long one, so grab a favorite beverage and pull up a comfy chair...
Resources for Creativity:John's resource is How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy. A book John describes has having three halves.
Kevin suggests exploring your family artifacts. Those items, letters, and photos from previous generations.
Note: book links are affiliate links to bookshop.org supporting independent bookstores everywhere, including Modern Folklore Bookstore.
Do you get distracted by your creativity tools? Do you put off your creative work because you haven't found the perfect tools? Do you argue online about your favorite tools? In this episode, we talk about these concerns and how to work through the temptation and get to work.
A Resource?Neither of us read this book, but it appears useful. Unclutter Your Mind: 500 ways to Focus on What's Important by Donna Smallin.
Book links are affiliate links to Bookshop.org supporting independent bookstores.
This episode is a little more personal for us. We dig into how we each have managed our creativity while dealing with unexpected and emotionally difficult times. Each creative deals with this in their own way. There is no single best approach other than to use or perform creative work in the manner that serves you best. Creativity can be a therapeutic benefit, but it can also cause anxiety and stress. Knowing yourself and "going with the flow" of what feels best, being open to change, accepting setbacks, etc. is probably the only guidance we can give. But if you've ever struggled with being creative while facing life's biggest challenges, give this a listen. You're not alone.
In this episode, John and Kevin discuss whether creatives should focus on making weaknesses stronger or double down on our strengths. How do we even evaluate what a strength or weakness is? Should we label something as a weakness? We each want to improve in our craft, but what's the best way to frame how we do that?
ResourcesKevin suggests reading Cory Doctorow's article about how social media platforms change over time. Why they always (so far) serve the owners and never (so far) their users or the content creators in the long run. Read it here.
John recommends a strengths and weaknesses listicle from Elite Daily. The presentation undermines the message, which isn't actually wrong, but sounds like it is.
A discussion about how taking a break or slowing down our creativity can actually make us more creatively productive.
The post Episode 23: Taking Creative Breaks first appeared on Epos Books.
An interview with singer, songwriter, and storyteller, Dany Horovitz.
The post Episode 22: Interview With Dany Horovitz, Singer Songwriter first appeared on Epos.
Perfection can creep into our creative process and hold us back. In this episode, we discuss how to recognize and avoid these pitfalls.
The post The Perfect Episode! Pitfalls of Perfection first appeared on Epos.
Do you get your best ideas while washing the dishes or walking the dog? There's a reason for that.
The post Episode 20: Are You Bored Yet? Boredom as Creative Fuel first appeared on Epos.
An interview with Dewi Hargreaves, an author and artist/illustrator.
The post Episode 19: Interview with Dewi Hargreaves Artist and Author first appeared on Epos.
Going deeper into the idea that process is more important than outcome. Why valuing, even honoring, the creative process is so important to our creativity.
The post Episode 18: Valuing the Creative Process first appeared on Epos.
For the final episode of the year, we did not really do a year in review. Or maybe we did.
The post Episode 17: Not Really The Year In Review first appeared on Epos.
Finding a creative path in the first place, or finding our way back to creativity can be difficult. We talk about ways to get in or get in again.
The post Episode 16: Finding Creativity first appeared on Epos Books.
John and Kevin discuss sharing our creativity. Not just posting a picture on social media or putting something up for sale, but sharing our process.
The post Episode 15: What Happens When Sharing Our Creative Work first appeared on Epos Books.
Interview with Jordan Duncan, a writer, poet, editor, blogger, and half of the Coffee Book and Candle blog duo.
The post Episode 14: Interview With Jordan Duncan first appeared on Epos Books.
Marijah V. is a writer, poet, editor, photographer, musician, adventurer and all-around creative.
The post Episode 13: Interview With Multi-Creative Marijah V. first appeared on Epos Books.
Feeling like a Creative fraud. In this episode, John and Kevin discuss the times they've experienced this and what they've done to cope with and these periods.
The post Episode 12: Who’s the Imposter? first appeared on Epos Books.
Interview with Kristin Osani who is a queer writer who lives in Kyoto, Japan where she works as a freelance Japanese-to-English video game translator
The post Episode 11: Interview with Author & Translator Kristin Osani first appeared on Epos Books.
Author, artist (painting, NFT, sculptor), musician, and teacher Jonathan Hansen, aka Johan Michaels talks about all things creative.
The post Episode 10: Interview With Multi-Creative Jonathan Hansen first appeared on Epos Books.
Before writing, Geoffreyjen was a scientist. He draws on experience in astrophysics, artificial intelligence, design, disability studies & performing arts.
The post Episode 9: Interview with Author & Creative Geoffreyjenn Edwards first appeared on Epos Books.
Lily Hammer (aka Kate), is a writer, drummer, photographer, and all around creative. She talked about her approach to creativity.
The post Episode 8: Author & Multi-Creative Lily Hammer Interview first appeared on Epos Books.
Kevin talks about why he writes and what happens when he lacks creative focus. He also discusses taking his creativity full-time.
The post Episode 7: Interview with Poet & Author Kevin J Fellows first appeared on Epos Books.
Our first Creator Interview. Composer & Musician John M. Davis talks about his music, and why having a creative focus is important.
The post Episode 6: Interview With Composer & Musician John M. Davis first appeared on Epos Books.