Have you ever been in a state of flow? I'll bet you've been under pressure. What's the difference between these two states? They can be easily confused, so I'm here this week to share some thoughts on the critical differences between flow and pressure (and a few overlaps!). I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter ! You can also watch these pep talks on YouTube . I post prett...
Nov 17, 2021•10 min•Ep. 99
Kate Chapman knew at a young age that Broadway was “the answer” to where she wanted to be. She made it, though it wasn’t easy, with performances ranging from Les Mis to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. In the last decades she’s become more and more interested in helping others with their health, via both health and life coaching, though she doesn’t think she’ll ever stop singing. We talk about how she kept hope alive while waiting for her big break, how her own health journey led her to coa...
Nov 10, 2021•56 min•Ep. 98
We've talked before about comparison, perfectionism, and self-rejection, but the conversation is not complete without reflecting on the fact that not everyone is your audience. Finding your audience is an aspect of the creative process that can easily be de-prioritized or even ignored. Here's why you want to make sure you very carefully consider it. I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagra...
Nov 03, 2021•6 min•Ep. 97
My guest this week is Madeleine Holly-Rosing, creator of the Boston Metaphysical Society series. Since beginning that series, Madeleine has created graphic novels, novels short stories, a coloring book, and is currently working an audio drama. Oh, and she’s run NINE Kickstarters and has literally written the book on the subject: Kickstarter for the Independent Creator . And she's made helping others succeed one of her chief business priorities. We talk about Kickstarter (including her latest ), ...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 96
For this week's pep talk, I'm sharing another recent Wisdom talk, in response to a question from a guest about just what Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching is. It's been a long time since I've talked about it on the pod, and I've never done it in a short, specific form that's easy to find, so now seemed like a good time. If you think KMCC might be for you, get in touch! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter ! Want to give it a whirl on your own first...
Oct 20, 2021•12 min•Ep. 95
Brandi Stanley spent a lot of time working in branding and marketing before she could no longer avoid the truth: it just wasn’t what she was supposed to be doing. But just what was she meant to do instead? It’s a question so many of us ask, and we all know it can take time to find the answer. In Brandi’s case, it turned out to be using all the skills she’d developed already to make connections between things that seem unconnected, and bring them to others via her podcast, This Plus That . We tal...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 94
I've been beta testing the new Wisdom app over the last two weeks, which is sort of like a cross between a podcast and Clubhouse, where I can not only share my own thoughts and insights, but also talk to others about them. I thought you might like to hear what happens on that platform, and I'm hoping you'll check it out when the app makes its full release in a few weeks—I'd love to get to talk to you! This episode is longer than my pep talks since it includes conversations with three guests. I h...
Oct 06, 2021•46 min•Ep. 93
Isabelle Hardesty started her creative life in visual art and fashion before trying her hand at writing. Inspired in part by her childhood in South Florida, her most recent novels are The Witch of Belle Fleur , and its upcoming sequel, Midnight in Belle Fleur . We talk about the importance of listening to our intuition, being sure YOU like your own work, why she self-publishes, the responsibility creatives bear for the messages we put out into the culture, the revision process, and more. Check o...
Sep 29, 2021•57 min•Ep. 92
This week I have a more lighthearted look at things that get in our way, riffing off a great story from Zander and Zander's book The Art of Possibility . Maybe you, too, would benefit from remembering Rule Number Six? I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter ! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok ....
Sep 22, 2021•6 min•Ep. 91
Author Mark Ryall explores the exciting, and ethically daunting, world of genetic engineering in his novel, Age-Decoded . Focused on the current technology called CRISPR, he explores the wide variety of possibilities the technology opens up. It’s a project that brings together his background in math and science as well as teaching. Our conversation digs into the technology, the unusual path to his first encounter with it, and how he used the novel format to delve into the opportunities and issue...
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 90
Continuing from last time: more on comparison, and how it's actually a way to reject ourselves, even if we don't know it. Perfectionism factors into that process, too, creating an ugly soup of not-good-enoughness. The good news: you CAN do something about it. Details within! Want more help? Check out my Creative Tune-Up , which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck. I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.c...
Sep 08, 2021•16 min•Ep. 89
Musician Paul Bessenbacher, known to his friends and fans as PB, lives a genuine optimism best summed up in his signature statement: “It’s gonna be great.” PB has followed the flow of that sentiment from an undergraduate degree that let him experiment with every genre he could find, to learning recording engineering on the fly, to forming a band—more of a collaboration—Opus Orange. Oh, and he also composes for film. We talk about all that and particularly about how he navigates the flow, avoids ...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 88
A story about comparison and how it robs us not only of our creative joy but also distorts our sense of ourselves. Did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube ? I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter ! I also post regularly on TikTok ....
Aug 25, 2021•7 min•Ep. 87
None of us gets through the day without encountering anger somewhere, be it at work, at home, on the road, or even inside ourselves. Ryan Martin is a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, and he specializes in anger. He’s written a book, Why We Get Mad: How to Use Your Anger for Positive Change , and given a TEDx talk , but a lot of people have encountered him through his @angerprofessor account on TikTok, where he shares interesting new research and offers advice ...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 86
"We can do hard things," as the saying goes—but we can also make it way harder to do those things than we have to. Hear how I learned this lesson and how you can make it easier to do the tough things on your list in this episode. I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter !...
Aug 11, 2021•7 min•Ep. 85
Urban fantasy author Sarah Fine, who writes psychological thrillers as SF Kosa, is a clinical psychologist as well as a novelist. As a result, she has a lot to say about the amateur psychology and observational skills writers tend to possess, as well as what she will and won’t do in portraying aspects of mental health in her books. In addition, we also talk about the psychology of the creative process, from artificial pressure to “write every day” to how the unconscious can do a lot of heavy lif...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 84
Failure visits us all—and I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Failing doesn't have to be the end, and it definitely doesn't reflect our worth. It's actually a really important part of the creative process (and of growing/learning in general), so maybe we should start embracing it rather than fearing it. If you'd like to be the first to hear when my new creativity toolkit becomes available, send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter ! I'd also lov...
Jul 28, 2021•9 min•Ep. 83
Eddie Louise, writer of the Sage and Savant audio drama podcast, has lived one of the most fascinating creative journeys I’ve ever heard. She has followed her curiosity from the libraries of Wyoming to undergraduate studies in Edinburgh and back to California, and absolutely none of it has happened in the way anyone is told a life story is “supposed” to unfold. We talk about her first adventures with Shakespeare, the unexpected detour in high school, how she got to Edinburgh, and, of course, the...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 82
If you're feeling stuck and don't know how to get moving again, this is the episode for you! There's a simple way to get your momentum back, and it's probably not what you expect. (It may even feel kind of insulting... but it works!) I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter !...
Jul 14, 2021•8 min•Ep. 81
Kathryn Malek is an actor, writer, and coach. Kathryn started focusing on acting and writing as a young adult, studying with apprentices of Lee Strasberg before taking the leap into playwriting. We talked about those early experiences, the ways acting is viewed in our society as performers on demand or as people who “just pretend for a living”—and the truth of what goes into good acting, and how she uses her acting skills as a coach. Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com , and join the con...
Jul 07, 2021•58 min•Ep. 80
If you're feeling stuck creatively, you may just need a change of scene. It doesn't have to be anything dramatic, though the bigger the change, the more potential! I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter !...
Jun 30, 2021•6 min•Ep. 79
My guest this week is Michael Broussard, an actor, activist, musician, and artist. His solo show, “Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor,” uses his own experience to demystify and destigmatize abuse trauma while also giving his audience, which often includes fellow survivors, a chance to ask questions and open up about their own experiences in a safe environment. As you’ll hear, it’s a show that’s grown with its creator both in scope and content, and has also branched into the online world during the pandemi...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 78
Following on from last time, here are some thoughts on how to give feedback. Why is this important? For one, you really don't want to be the person who stops someone else's creative process. Just as importantly, though, you don't want to stymie yours! It really is THAT important. I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter !...
Jun 16, 2021•7 min•Ep. 77
Author Lydia Kang balances two careers: In addition to writing adult and young adult fiction, as well as nonfiction, she’s also a doctor. Lydia never thought of herself as a writer, though she was intrigued by writing, until she began to use it to deal with some of her experiences on the job, which eventually led her to try fiction. Her novels include The Impossible Girl and Opium and Absinthe , and one of the things we talk about today is how her nonfiction work has influenced her fiction. We a...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 76
You've probably never thought about protecting your creativity—but you should. It's one of your most valuable assets and resources, and nobody has the right to take it from you. (No one actually can, but it's easy for us to give it up if we're not careful.) You can find my conversation with Tracy Matthews here . Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter !...
Jun 02, 2021•6 min•Ep. 75
Trudy Cunningham is one of the most insightful and creative people I've ever met. Her background in mathematics and education led her to the improbable position of associate dean of engineering at Bucknell University, which is where we first crossed paths. It's is also why I wanted to talk to her. She later moved to Sewanee, where her husband served as president and she continued to teach. As you'll hear, not only has she steadfastly refused to be told women can't teach math, she's just as consi...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 74
Inspired by a day of viral attention on TikTok, here's a reminder that you matter. Yes, YOU. That means your creative dreams matter, too. If that sounds crazy or alien to you, this episode is definitely for you! I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter !...
May 19, 2021•8 min•Ep. 73
Kimberly Stuart started writing when she became a stay-at-home mom, and hasn’t stopped since. As you’ll hear, her path changed dramatically thanks to a gift from her mother, who was a professional musician. She’s the author of eight novels, and has branched into writing coaching as well. Kim and I talk about the importance of validation and encouragement, remembering that you are not your work, the costs of creativity—and its rewards. We get deep into vulnerability and courage, too. Check out th...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 72
Do you feel like you have to be "ready" before you start something new? Are you even sure what "ready" would mean? I'm here this week to talk about why "ready" is mostly an illusion, and why you should start now instead of waiting for that illusion to magically become real. I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity .com , or contact me on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter....
May 05, 2021•8 min•Ep. 71
If you've been listening for a while, you know I believe there's hardly anything that's NOT creative, and I love to talk to people from so-called "non-creative" professions to find out how those perceptions are wrong. Accounting is not something most people associate with creativity—except in the familiar, negative sense—but I knew it had to be, so I contacted Lynda Schwartz. Lynda not only is an accountant but was a partner in a big-four firm’s fraud investigation and dispute services practice....
Apr 28, 2021•54 min•Ep. 70
