We're talking: When the internet gives you the ick The flattening of culture by algorithms How social media sows the seeds of its own destruction when it prioritises attention over quality And more! Pre-order To Kill a Queen , Amie's queer detective novel set in Elizabethan London. Remember, this is literally the most important thing you can do for an author! Order We Need Your Art or get a SIGNED copy here Enshittification was coined by our mate Cory Doctorow which we should have known!...
Jul 04, 2025•32 min•Season 8Ep. 4
Hello friends! Today we're talking about the rise of the middle class artist. Based on Amie's substack post . Buy Amie's book for F***'s sake! ALSO you can pre-order Amie's queer Elizabethan detective novel , To Kill a Queen! References: Hollywood is Broken. Can YouTubers Fix it? Colin and Samir interview Max Reisinger. Brandon Sanderson podcast about AI...
Jun 26, 2025•45 min•Season 8Ep. 3
Come hang out with us as we talk shit. Very chatty, casual episode today with lots of ranting about things like: what annoys us in the gym, whether or not audiobooks count as reading, leaf blowers and, of course, the case of the Australian bloke who got a 2-book publishing deal for being hot without having written anything. Don't forget to check out our episode on the Bewildered podcast with Martha and Rowan on youtube or your fave podcast player Don't forget, you can buy as many copies as you l...
May 29, 2025•47 min•Season 8Ep. 2
I'm so sorry everyone but it's another AI episode :(Listen to us, two people who aren't experts on anything really, talk about AI, climate change, utopias, the housing crisis, Australian politics and what's wrong with the left these days. Would love it if you bought We Need Your Art! Things mentioned: Review of Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Basic Income: And How We Can Make it Happen, by Guy Standing TikTok’s annual carbon footprint is likely bigger than Greece’s, study fi...
May 22, 2025•48 min•Season 8Ep. 1
We had so much fun recording a very fancy in person episode with THE Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan! How 'bout those production values? Don't forget Amie's new book, We Need Your Art is out now in Hardcover, Audio, and E-book In today's episode we discuss: The amazing power of creativity to banish anxiety How art and community building creates ripples that extend far beyond our personal practice and help the whole world Why society is so afraid of art and artists And so much more! If you want more...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 181
Join us as we remind you how important it is to celebrate your own art (coz no one's gonna do it for you!). Fully raw ep today. No music (sorry to our composer/intro creator Matilda Eyre ) I ran out of time. The Collective is open for 5 days only! WNYA is our now everywhere 00:00 Introduction and First Impressions of New York City01:20 The Inspired Collective Membership03:57 Challenges with Book Launch Planning05:32 Grassroots Book Events and Community Support06:17 Reflections on the Publishing ...
Mar 18, 2025•38 min•Ep. 180
BOOK OUT THIS WEEK BOOK OUT THIS WEEK BOOK OUT THIS WEEK BUY BOOK BUY BOOK BUY BOOK 00:00 Introduction and Holiday Hat00:30 Book Tour and Podcast Plans03:05 The Importance of Art04:05 Creative Blocks and Overcoming Them12:00 Role of Patience in Creativity25:31 Art reset challenge26:10 Rice Cakes26:44 Book Promotion and Blurbs33:18 Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing36:24 Expectations for the Book43:15 Podcast Reflections and Upcoming Events BOOK TOUR INFO USA EAST COAST The BookMark Shopp...
Mar 06, 2025•45 min•Ep. 212
00:00 Introduction 02:13 Housekeeping and Upcoming Events03:39 25 Things to Avoid 03:45 Obsessing Over Details04:57 The Pitfalls of Excessive Research09:09 Setting Unrealistic Goals10:16 Managing Expectations and Pressure15:40 The Importance of Planning16:48 Guarding Your Creative Time19:31 Sharing Ideas and Seeking Validation22:38 Avoiding Comparisons and Judgments28:32 Over-Education and Procrastination31:30 Finding Your Own Rhythm33:23 The Importance of Consistency35:16 Navigating Critique an...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 178
Today we're talking to the boys! Or, given our audience demographics, we're talking to the girls and gender non conforming folks about the boys... Buy We Need Your Art here and be our best friend forever! 00:00 Introduction and Preamble00:47 Discussing Men and Creativity00:49 Housekeeping and Personal Updates03:13 How we're trying to be less tired07:10 Book Launch and Pre-orders12:12 The Importance of Men's Art27:37 The Gendered Nature of Art and Craft27:48 Men's Role in Art: Historical Context2...
Feb 20, 2025•52 min•Ep. 177
Yes I kept Amie's preamble in on purpose because I thought it was funny! Today we're talking about locking in, getting stuff done, and thriving as creatives. Expect a discussion about how to treat ourselves and our bodies well, not striving for perfection, and how to go from small steps to big goals. TOUR THINGS: We have LOCKED IN two bookshops in Brooklyn in the evenings of the 11th and 13th of March, so if you're in the NYC area, please save those dates. Plus we'll be in Philly on the 12th als...
Feb 13, 2025•54 min•Ep. 176
We talk about ambition! How ambitious are we? Is it good to be ambitious? Is it HEALTHY to be ambitious? Inspired by Amie's substack post . We Need Your Art pre-order giveaway is now live! A chance to win a custom canvas love note when you submit your pre-order receipt here ! 00:00 Introduction: Ambition and the Hustle 00:26 Recording Struggles and Podcast Delays 01:25 Guilt and Ambition: A Personal Reflection 02:08 The Toxicity of Ambition in Society 03:30 Money and Ambition: A Complex Relation...
Feb 05, 2025•39 min•Ep. 175
MORE AUDIENCE QUESTIONS PLS 00:00 Welcome to the Unpublished Podcast 01:16 Audience Questions Introduction 03:34 Multidisciplinary Creativity 16:18 Self-Publishing Insights 24:30 The Emotional Side of Money for Artists 28:56 Financial Stress and Relationships 29:24 The Myth of Pure Art 31:21 Collective Members' Questions 32:05 Balancing Work and Rest 35:43 Supporting Each Other's Strengths 42:09 The Importance of Shitty Art 53:27 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Events Pre-order Amie's book here !...
Jan 28, 2025•56 min•Ep. 174
We don't want jobs, we want to make art! You can read Amie's viral substack article here and pre-order WNYA here . 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Captain Hat 01:22 Discussing the Viral Essay on Not Wanting a Job 01:59 The Taboo of Not Wanting a Job 03:09 Capitalism and Meaningless Work 05:36 Artists and the Value of Work 15:21 Anti-Work Movement and Personal Reflections 18:44 Outsourcing Drudgery and Job Satisfaction 28:33 Middle-Class Jobs and Psychological Impact 30:08 Navigating New Territory...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 173
WTF why is the video so bright after I export it? Y'all, video is hard! Don't Forget to pre-order We Need Your Art, out 11th of March in e-book, audiobook, and hardback! Martha Beck, you cannot lie said this about it: "This book is desperately needed medicine for our hearts, our lives, and our culture. I will read it over and over until its many truths sink into every one of my cells. If you have ever felt the slightest impulse to create anything, I urge you to do the same. Well researched, beau...
Jan 14, 2025•53 min•Ep. 172
Join us as we predict creative trends for 2025! It's all speculation and probably going to be wrong... but we had fun. Unfortunately, the video didn't work, but we will try again next week. 00:00 Welcome to the Unpublished Podcast 01:46 Why You Should Be Hopeful for 2025 01:57 The Importance of Hope in Creativity 02:41 Challenges and Pessimism in the Creative Community 06:30 Predictions and Hopes for Creatives in 2025 07:46 Building Personal Connections with Your Audience 08:05 The Rise of Micro...
Jan 07, 2025•58 min•Ep. 171
Let's go!!! Lachlan and Lachlina here getting ready to Lock In for 2025. Or are we? Come with us! James did the mix/audio for the first time in two years. Let us know if you have any notes! 00:00 Welcome to the 2025 Intentions Podcast 00:45 Introducing the Captaincy System 01:59 Goals vs. Intentions 02:46 Balancing Freedom and Structure 03:28 The Unique Approach of Artists 04:43 Setting Realistic Goals 06:58 Navigating Uncertainty 09:55 The Importance of Consistency 15:44 Taking the Podcast Seri...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 170
We're back from 3 months of family and work travel and ready to pod... just in time for the holidays... Join us for a 15 minute cozy catchup and a little 15 minute rant about why perfect people are boring. Preorder Amie's guide to creative living Sign up to Amie's substack And James'...
Dec 18, 2024•29 min•Ep. 169
We finished our joint novel! We take you behind the scenes of the on and off year and a half long project. Topics: Writing to delight each other The importance of planning The number one mistake we noticed in each other's writing Dealing with conflict And much more!
Oct 30, 2024•26 min•Ep. 168
Today we're talking about money! Specifically, our own finances. Revenue streams Emergency funds Retirement saving Book advances Taxes And other extremely interesting things... Amie's book, We Need Your Art, is available for pre-order . This is super important to the success of the book! Pre-order numbers directly impact how much support publishers and booksellers will give to a book. If you buy one thing from us in your lifetime, this is the one!...
Oct 23, 2024•44 min•Ep. 167
Amie has made a list of artist archetypes to help you all figure out your strengths and weaknesses as artists. We go through the archetypes and discuss each one. Kind of like enneagram/Myers Briggs/astrology specifically for artists! You can read more about it on Amie's substack ! Still two days to sign up to the Inspired Collective !
Sep 19, 2024•49 min•Ep. 166
Welcome back! We're talking about: small steps and achievable goals; fostering scrappiness; behaving like an athlete; and much more! Topic discussion begins at 4:42 The Inspired Collective We Need Your Art Book James' substack Amie's substack...
Sep 13, 2024•35 min•Ep. 165
We interrupt Creativity 101 for a special episode! Help us prepare for Amie's guest appearance on a big podcast. Also, I'm writing this from the future AFTER the podcast recording happened. It went really well thank you for asking. I sat in on the whole thing and Amie killed it. For some reason, she speaks much better when she's talking to someone who isn't her husband (swirly eye emoji). Hey! You can pre-order Amie's book now! Links are HERE !...
Aug 22, 2024•44 min•Ep. 164
We're coming back to a topic we talk about a lot on the podcast, Perfectionism. This time, though, we're going back to basics. What is perfectionism? What are the most common ways it shows up our lives? Why is bad? And what can we do about it? Amie was right, no cover reveal yet... But you should come to our live course: Selling Without Selling Out
Aug 13, 2024•28 min•Ep. 163
Most artists will procrastinate. That's just a fact. It's something people have dealt with in the past and will continue to deal with in the future. Where it becomes a problem, though, is when it holds you back from being the sort of person you want to be. We look at some common tools and techniques to help you cut through procrastination and make art with more ease and regularity. Also discussed towards the end: procrastination for Neurodivergent creatives!
Jul 29, 2024•27 min•Ep. 162
Join us for our Creativity 101 series where we go back to foundational principles for being happier, more rested, and more productive artists. We'll be doing a 10 episode series starting here with Journaling. Journaling is the foundational methodology for all our teaching. In all our courses, books, and online classes we always include journaling prompts. It helps you ask yourself important questions, and find your own wisdom which you can use to overcome blocks and problems. If you're intereste...
Jul 22, 2024•33 min•Ep. 162
I know a lot of you want to know a little more about how our partnership works. This week, we're answering heaps of listener questions all about our relationship! How do we deal with conflict? What're our attachment styles? How do we help each other when one of us is upset or disregulated? Our views on couple's therapy. And much more! James has a new substack post that talks more about our relationship and how we balance it.
Jul 02, 2024•55 min•Ep. 160
Today we're talking about people who think making art is only for the special few, who think you need double decker doctorates or generational talent if you want to create. We're talking about why they're WRONG! You can find links to buy Amie's books (which she'll never have done enough research for to satisfy some people) here
Jun 24, 2024•28 min•Ep. 159
Honestly guys, I have no idea what we said in this one. We recorded it over three weeks ago! Hope it's good... Let me know! We have a summer sale on for the next week! 50% off all our courses.
Jun 11, 2024•22 min
Q and A episode today people! We're answering YOUR questions: Do we want kids? Is Fan Fiction a good way to practice writing? What do we do when we fall of out love with our art? And more! We will be in an aeroplane in the sky when this goes out so hopefully it works! You can join our San Francisco workshop digitally via A Writing Room ! The session will be recorded so you can watch the replay too!...
May 20, 2024•27 min•Ep. 157
We're in a little bit of slump at the moment. How do we deal with it? It's normal to not always feel motivated and enthusiastic with your work. We share what we've been struggling with lately, common reasons creatives get into slumps, imposter syndrome/the pain of leveling up and feeling like you aren't fully ready for that next level. We also give you an update on our MUSCLES! Did you want to come to come to one of Amie's live workshops but don't live in California? Our hosts, A Writing Room, a...
May 14, 2024•43 min•Ep. 156
