The Creativity Campus Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Creativity Campus Podcast
The Creativity Campus Podcast is where I talk to my guests all about the subject of creativity; we’ll be exploring the highs, lows and all the messy in-betweens of the creative process, along with the meaning and magic of living a more creative life. Together we're helping you unlock and unleash your creative potential so you can navigate your creative path with more purpose, passion and play!
I am someone who is fascinated by psychology and human behaviour and so when these subjects are combined with my favourite subject – CREATIVITY – I’m in conversation heaven.
In this episode I have the pleasure of talking to Dr Eric Maisel, a retired family therapist widely regarded as America’s foremost creativity coach. He is also the author of over fifty books; including titles such as Unleashing the Artist Within, Fearless Creating, Creative Recovery, The Power of Daily Practice, and Mastering Creative Anxiety – to name only a few.
Eric also writes extensively in the area known as critical psychiatry, where he is a thought-leader and advocate for significant shifts in mental health paradigms and practices. He writes the “Rethinking Mental Health” blog for Psychology Today (with 2.5 million views) as well as weekly blogs for The Good Men Project.
Eric leads workshops for writers online and around the world, and he lives in beautiful California.
In this episode we discuss…
- The biggest and most common challenges, either conscious or unconscious that stop people from doing the work
- Sleep Thinking - how you can use your sleep to enhance your creativity
- Exposure - establishing how much of yourself you are comfortable revealing.
- How to dispute sabotaging thoughts so that they don’t sabotage your creative work
- The role anxiety plays in the creative process and why establishing a portable anxiety management strategy is essential
- The biggest cause of creative anxiety
- How to stay on the inside of your creative work, not get trapped outside of it
- Choosing your life purposes versus finding your life purpose
- Moving from seeking meaning to making meaning
And SO much more!
If you’re someone who wants to develop a deeper, stronger, and more meaningful relationship with your creative work, then I can assure you, this episode and Eric’s powerful insights and ideas, are going to help you do just that!
And a special note to all you memoir writers out there…
If you’re trying to write your memoir but struggling – Eric shares some illuminating ideas about what might be holding you back and what you can do to move forward – so it’s definitely worth a listen!
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)
This week’s episode of The Creativity Campus Podcast and I’m talking to Nicky Raby!
Nicky has such an impressive portfolio career, that pulls and weaves together so many strands of her creativity. She is an actor, qualified life and business coach, she is a writer, speaker and her specialism is helping people build thriving, profitable, and fulfilling personal brands for themselves. Her podcast ‘Dreaming and Doing with Nicky Raby’ regularly features on the top 100 business podcasts on iTunes, and it has had over 100k downloads, which, for someone releasing their twelfth episode today, is pretty humbling. As I was recording today’s episode, I was reminded of the saying; you are the author of your life story, which is one of the powerful themes at the heart of today’s episode!
During this conversation, Nicky shares her own creative journey and reveals how, by becoming strategic, taking control and ultimately, by actually choosing what she wants her story to be, she has been able to build a thriving portfolio career and help many others do the same. Following your creativity and pursuing a creative career, is not always the easiest of paths. Very often, it can feel like handing over the controls and letting someone else take the wheel. Accepting that this is the story of what a creative life looks like, we can get swept along for the ride, even when we don’t like the direction, we’re moving in.
If your current story is no longer serving you, your life or your creativity, you don’t need to accept it. You can choose a different story. And if you’re not sure how to do that, then this conversation with Nicky is going to be a great place to start.
Happy Listening! Christina X
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of The Creativity Campus Podcast.
Today I’m talking to Marc Silber about his brilliant book; Create – tools from seriously talented people to unleash your creative life.
Marc is also the author of the #1 best-selling book Advancing Your Photography, he’s an award-winning video producer, photographer, and photography educator. Marc’s highly popular YouTube Show, Advancing your Photography has won several Telly Awards and if photography is your thing, it is definitely one to check out.
I caught up with Marc during the height of lockdown and this conversation, which he recorded from his home in California, making me a little jealous, was such a delight and filled me with so much energy to create.
This conversation is crammed full of helpful tools and techniques to support your creative process, in it, we talk about;
- The Five Stages of Creativity and how you can use them to structure and support your creative process
- Visualisation, what it is, why it’s so important and how we can all become better at doing it
- When to ‘let it flow’ and when to edit and why you need to know the difference.
- Putting your work out into the world; dealing with fear, stage fright and negative feedback
- The stigma of failing and how to reframe so you can begin to embrace it
- And in this episode, Marc debunks one the greatest creative excuses of all time and shares his secret to boasting creativity by 60%
I hope this episode encourages you to put your work (and yourself) out into the world and helps you to accept it’s all just a necessary, albeit scary, part of the process!
Happy listening (and sharing)!
Christina X
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)
Let me ask you this…
Are you someone who suffers from the dreaded ‘Sunday Night Blues’? Does the thought of going to work on Monday morning fill you with angst? Have you got the feeling that you were made for something else, something different, something more aligned to who you truly are, you just haven’t figured out what that is yet?
Well if so, Season 2 of The Creativity Campus Podcast is here, and this episode is for you!
I’m starting this season talking to the brilliant Kia Cannons. Kia is an Abstract Artist, Empowerment Coach, Creative Entrepreneur, Speaker, Host of UK top 3 wellness podcast, Happy Hacks, and a columnist for Psychologies Magazine. Kia believes you should do what you love with your one wild life and seeks to empower women with the tools to step into their true potential through her monthly coaching membership, Untold Happiness.
In this juicy episode, Kia and I talk about…
- The million-dollar question; how to figure out what you really want to do with your life
- Why we need to start breaking the rules, or better still, throw away the rule book and start making up our own rules
- Becoming unwilling to settle for anything less than what makes you happy
- The importance of stepping into the shoes of the person you want to become, even when they feel too big
- Dealing with Imposter Syndrome, the inevitable side effect of stepping into shoes that feel too big
- Why ‘pivoting’ in our careers is not only necessary but something we should embrace and do as often as we need to; without guilt, shame or judgement
- Learning to turn inwards to listen, putting ourselves in ‘receiver mode’
- Finding your calling, tapping into what lights you up and following your inner compass
- And finally, we talk about the necessity of becoming wildly courageous for the sake of our creativity and of our lives.
I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation with Kia as much as I enjoyed having it and more than anything, I hope it inspires you to live and create with wild courageousness!
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)
It’s the final episode of Season 1 folks!
And we are finishing on a real high because my guests today are Isabel Soden and Natalie Marsland, the fabulous founders of Reuben Feels.
Reuben Feels is an immersive storytelling company, with a mission statement; to get the world playing. Which of course, I absolutely love! This was such a joyful conversation about creativity, curiosity, play, the power of saying yes, and seeing your life for what it really is; one big improvisation show!
Issie and Nat serve up some powerful and practical suggestions to help us clamber over the wall of fear and step into a more playful state, where the real magic and the creativity happens.
In this episode we discuss…
- How we can start to reframe failure and stop being quite so afraid of getting things wrong all the time
- What listening really means and why it’s the beginning and end of everything
- Issie shares the six golden rules that will transform a rehearsal room, a meeting room, or, even better, your entire life!
- Nat introduces us to the concept of ‘Groovement’, and explains why getting out of your head and into your body is SO important when it comes to accessing your creativity
- And why remembering to relax, breathe and have fun, can very often be the best response to everything!
I hope you have as much fun listening to this episode as I had recording it. I’ll be back in March with Season 2. Until then, I just want to say a huge thank you for tuning into this podcast every week and I’ll look forward to seeing you back here in the new year for more conversations designed to feed and fuel your creativity. In the meantime have a wonderful Christmas and I’m wishing you a happy, healthy and of course, creative 2021!
Christina X PS. If you want to hang out and play with Issie and Nat on Instagram, you can find them @reubenfeels_official
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
You often hear people say ‘do one thing every day that scares you’ or ‘to succeed you need to wave goodbye to your comfort zone’, but when it comes to our creativity, just how far out of our comfort zone do we really need to venture?
Well, on the podcast this week I’m talking to Steve Garratt about that very subject (among lots of other creative things, of course)! Steve is a writer, director and founder of Studio Giggle; a film and animation studio that creates award-winning, immersive and interactive content. Steve is a creative through-and-through and not just in one creative discipline but in many, which is one of the reasons I wanted to have him on the show. I wanted to understand how he finds the time, the headspace and the creativity to keep so many projects live at any one time, all the while still juggling his full-time creative job.
This is a fascinating conversation that covers some serious ground on the subject of creativity, we talk about…
- Creative collaborations and how finding the right creative partner can elevate your game
- The real role of a creative (and it’s not necessarily what you'd think!)
- How picking your battles can be the key to maintaining creative integrity when it comes to working with clients
- How to pitch your ideas so that people aren’t saying ‘no’ all the time
- Why relationships are so important when it comes to creating work you love
- And of course, we talk all about comfort zones; when and who should be in it, when and who should be out of it, and why sometimes, just going to the edge of it is all that’s needed for creative growth.
Whether you work in a corporate environment, a creative one, or like Steve, creatively straddle both, this episode is crammed full of so much ‘behind the scenes’ insight about creativity and the role of a creative, it will have you thinking in a whole new light…whichever side of your comfort zone you’re currently living.
Happy listening!
Christina X
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
Are you someone who struggles with procrastination or any other kind of self-sabotage, especially when it comes to your creative work? If so, then you’re going to love this week’s episode!
My guest today is Charlie Haynes. Charlie is founder of Urban Writers Retreat, offering writing retreats and online courses helping people to ‘sit down and do the work’, which I know, sounds terribly simple, but often, it can be the hardest part of the creative process. And as someone currently in midst of writing my second book, I can speak to this challenge personally.
Charlie is the creator of ‘Writers Block Detox’ - a four-week online adventure helping people fall back in love with writing. As well as the hugely successful, ‘6 Month Novel’ an online programme taking you from idea to first draft in just 6 months.
I’ve been to a few of Charlie’s retreats and they’re brilliant. Having some quality uninterrupted time to focus on my writing, really helped reboot my creativity and get me back in the right headspace.
We cover so much juicy ground in this episode but here are some of the highlights…
- We explore why it can be so bloody difficult to sit down and do the work, and why, the more that work matters to us, the harder it becomes to get out of our way and get it done.
- We talk about the importance of accountability when we’re embarking on a creative project, and how we all need to find ourselves some form of an accountability buddy.
- We discuss what ‘makes a writer’ and who gets to call themselves one, (SPOLER ALERT: If you write, then YOU GET TO CALL YOURSELF A WRITER!) We also talk about why this seems to be such a hard for thing for so many of us writer’s to do.
- We look at some of the external and internal blocks that can stand in the way of our creative goals and how we can start busting them all up!
I loved this conversation SO much, and I really hope you enjoy it too.
Christina X
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
Have you ever wished you could become a better storyteller?
Well, on the podcast this week, I’m talking to Timur Zobu, all about the subject of storytelling.
Timur is a story genius; he’s a screenwriting tutor at the Met Film-School and at Central School of Speech and Drama, as well as at HMP Thameside where he teaches screenwriting to prisoners. He has worked as a screenwriter and script doctor on international feature films and television projects for the likes of Blueprint Pictures, Protagonist, Endor and Cinéma Defacto. When it comes to the subject of storytelling there is very little Timur doesn’t know but what’s fascinating about him, and one of the reasons I wanted to have him on the show, is that his in-depth knowledge of story extends far beyond just looking at story structure and making successful scripts and movies, he goes deeper, exploring the psychology of story and why stories are so important to every aspect of who we are.
In this episode, we talk about…
- Where stories come from, why we tell them and why we need them so much
- The power of story to help and heal ourselves
- We look at story structure, the universal patterns of story and how they can both be applied to our lives
- Timur explains why we are all the hero in our own story
- We examine why no story is 100% fictional
- We look at what makes a story work and the three key areas storytellers need to tackle
- And Timur shares THE NUMBER ONE THING WE CAN ALL DO TO BECOME BETTER STORYTELLERS!
Honestly, this conversation blew my mind. And as somebody who knows a fair amount about storytelling myself - I am a writer who writes stories - this conversation was an education, even for me.
So, whether you are someone who would like to become better at telling stories, or you’re a writer looking to develop and hone your craft or you’re just interested in viewing your own story through a slightly different lens, then this episode is definitely one to listen to.
Happy storytelling!
Christina X
Ps. Here are the links to some of the things that got mentioned in this episode...
The Moth Podcast
Joseph Campbell - The Hero With a Thousand Faces
Christopher Vogler - The Writers Journey Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
When it comes to knowing your creative worth, how confident are you setting your price? Are you being paid what you think you’re worth? Or maybe that’s the problem, you don’t believe your creativity is worth that much, to begin with. Perhaps you don’t feel legitimate or comfortable making money from your creativity, despite the fact that you would actually love to be.
Well, if you’re anything like the majority of creative souls out there, you probably can’t bear this side of the business and would much rather spend your time lost in the act of creation than talking about money. Well if so, this one is for you…
On The Creativity Campus Podcast this week, I’m joined by Kate Davis. Kate is a Creative Mindset Coach who helps creative thinkers find their purpose, get out of their own way and step into their zone of genius. And together we’re talking all about the huge role our money mindset plays when it comes to our creativity. In this episode, Kate shows us how to rethink the monetary value we place on our creative work and how we can all start feeling more confident and comfortable, raising our price tag.
If you’re in a different camp though and not looking to make a penny out of your creative endeavours, and it’s purely for pleasure, then don't worry, there is still plenty of value to be had in this episode!! Kate and I talk all about what it means to cultivate a creative mindset too and together we explore how, getting into the right headspace can bring a whole lot more pleasure into the process of creating!
Happy listening!
Christina X
Happy listening!
Christina X
PS. Here’s a link to Simon Sinek’s fabulous book that Kate mentions during this episode, Start with Why.
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
I couldn’t be more excited to share this week’s episode with you because my guest today is the fabulous Selina Barker. Selina is some sort of super-human when it comes to creating which is why I was so desperate to have her on the show.
For those of you who don’t know Selina yet, she is a life design and career coach, author, podcaster – co-hosting the Project Love podcast. She is also the creator of the Audible Original Series ‘The Career Change Coach’ as well as the Project Love end-of-year journal ‘Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021, and her debut book‘Burnt Out: the exhausted person’s guide to thriving in a fast-paced world’ is out in April, which I for one, am very excited about!
As I said, this woman knows how to create!
What I love most about Selina though, is her unique philosophy towards creating. Whether it’s a business you’re creating, a book or the ultimate creative project of all, your life, her playful and powerful approach is one we could all do with adopting.
In this episode, Selina and I dive headfirst into a deliciously juicy conversation about writing books and the labour of love (and loathing) that they are. We talk all about the messy middle, the meltdowns and the misery and wonder of the creative process. Selina shares her thoughts on the importance of play and why it’s about time we all started taking play more seriously. And we talk about a subject, most of us as adults haven’t spoken about, let alone thought about since we probably about eight, ‘make-believe’ and how essential it is to making our dreams a reality and ultimately creating a life that we love.
Selina is so full of wisdom, play and creativity that after spending an hour in her company you can’t help but believe anything is possible. So, tune into this episode, let yourself play, and let’s see what might be possible for you.
Christina X
PS. Here are the links to a couple of other people who were mentioned in this episode…
Marianne Cantwell & Free Range Humans
Steven Pressfield - The War of Art
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
Welcome to this week’s episode of The Creativity Campus podcast. As we embark on another nationwide lockdown, today’s episode is particularly timely.
Today I’m talking to Morna Young. Morna is a playwright, features writer, actress and musician and has creativity flowing through her veins. During this interview we talk a lot about the joy and magic of creativity, and, for me, this was just a joyful and magical conversation.
In this episode, we talk about things like…
- Perfectionism and whether when it comes to our creativity, it’s more of a help, a hinderance, or perhaps even a little bit of both
- Whether it’s possible to embrace our anxiety and make friends with our fear to keep our creativity flowing forward.
- We discuss the relationship between mindfulness and creativity.
- We dive into the topic of dreams, daydreaming and the power and magic of our subconscious mind.
- We talk about the messiness and complexity of the creative journey and why often, it feels so damned scary.
- Morna shares the secret power of embracing boredom
- We explore where ideas and inspirations come from
- And of course, we talk about one of my favourite subjects, play. And how during lockdown learning to play, might just be your best way forward….you might even be surprised to learn what constitutes as play!
During our conversation, we also talk about Morna’s experience during the first lockdown and how she actually used that time to nurture her creative core, which is why I wanted to release this episode today. This conversation is crammed full of wonderful creative advice, ideas and exercises that, as we enter another lockdown, I invite you to try for yourself.
I hope that now more than ever you’ll choose to nurture your own creativity and I sincerely hope that this episode inspires you to do just that.
Christina X
Ps. In this episode we also talk about some great creative resources you might be interested in….
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - one of my fave books on creativity!
The Artists Way by Julia Cameron (this is where the Morning Pages exercise comes from)
First we make the Beast Beautiful – Sarah Wilson
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
To mark the official launch of The Creativity Campus Podcast, I’m actually dropping TWO episodes today and my next guest is the brilliant Adam Brazier. I was so thrilled to have Adam join me on the podcast because he’s someone with so much insight and experience on the subject of creativity, I wanted to tap into all of his knowledge and be able to share it with you.
Adam is the host of the UK's number 1 creative podcast 'Creative Rebels', he’s the co-founder of numerous successful creative businesses including the wildly successful Graffiti Life. He is a professional Photographer and Film Maker who helps entrepreneurs visually improve their brands and he regularly consults on branding and creativity.
Adam is an authority on the subject of creativity, but he’s also an authority on how to make a career out of your creativity and in this episode, he shares so much practical advice about the business of creativity. Adam and I deep dive into topics such as…
- What makes art, art?
- How you can make a living from your art, should you make a living from your art and if so, then what are some of the tripping points you should be looking out for?
- How you strike the right balance between maintaining the integrity of your creative vision and a client’s seemingly very dull brief?
- How you can start creating the work you most want to be creating, while still keeping the client happy and… still get paid!
- How you stop doing the work you hate and start doing the work you love?
- And why having a level playing field is so important when it comes to generating creative ideas.
So, whether you’re just starting out and thinking about turning your creative idea into a side hustle, or you’re already making a living from your creativity but perhaps not feeling as fulfilled as you thought you might be, then this episode is going to be for you!
Enjoy!
Christina X
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
IT IS HERE! I’m thrilled to announce the official launch of The Creativity Campus Podcast.
And to kick things off in real creative style, my very first guest on the show, is the brilliant James Victore. For anyone who hasn’t heard of James yet, you’re in for an absolute treat because James is an expert on the subject of creativity. He’s an artist, graphic designer, creative thought leader, art educator, founder of Creative Warrior, a mentorship programme and creative community, as well as being the author of the brilliant book, Feck Purfuction; Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life.
In this episode, we cover some serious ground…
- James introduces me to the Four Freedoms of Creativity and explains how they’re not only within everyone’s reach they’re a choice we can all make to help us all live more creative lives.
- We talk about the role self-love plays and how important it is when it comes to allowing ourselves to be creative.
- We talk about the three invisible traumas that kill our creativity - ones we all experience without even realising it.
- During this episode, James’s also shares his own creative process and the three simple questions he asks himself at the start of any creative project. I particularly loved hearing this, as for me, it felt like a very simple container to hold your big, audacious creative ideas - offering a little bit of structure and avoiding the overwhelm we can often experience when managing our new ideas.
- And of course, we talk about what creativity means; why we need more of it in our world right now and why we need more creative answers to the big questions our planet is facing.
This is a wild conversation that gallops and roams freely all over the subject of creativity so go ahead and tune into this first episode and join James and me on the first creative ride of the season.
Christina X
PS. Here are the links to other things that get mentioned in this episode..
The Do Books
Do Makes
And you can hang out with James on Instagram here… @victorecreativewarrior @jamesvictore
Theme music; The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628
The Creativity Campus Podcast explores the highs, lows and all the messy in-betweens of the creative process, along with the meaning and the magic of living a more creative life. These are conversations designed to unlock your creative potential so that you can navigate your creative path with more Purpose, Passion and Play!