Follow Your Curiosity

CPT #103: Celebrate Your Wins

Building on my conversation with Amber Petty last week: I look at how and why you should celebrate your accomplishments in this short episode.

Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!

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Navigating Feedback and Building Creative Confidence with Amber Petty

Amber Petty helps creatives get bylines and build audiences. She's written for the New York Times, Parade, Bustle, and others, and her clients have been published in outlets like the New Yorker, Washington Post, New York Times and many more. Amber talks with me about how she moved from teaching singing to teaching freelancing, how easy it is to downplay our accomplishments when we really should give ourselves credit for them, how to take feedback, and more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction.

01:56 Losing job led to full-time freelancing and shift in focus.

03:45 Pandemic inspired helping performers explore alternative side gigs.

05:06 Initial workshop success revealed a real demand for guidance.

06:42 Freelance writing felt more natural and sustainable than voice lessons.

08:32 Previous failures provided valuable lessons for current business success.

11:03 Business doesn’t have to feel hard to be worthwhile.

12:43 Take the easy path—hard enough already for perfectionists.

14:18 Writing doesn’t always need to be grueling or tortured.

15:58 Feedback is easier when you’re getting paid as a freelancer.

18:26 Editors focus on fitting articles, not judging your talent.

22:33 Read editorial feedback in a friendly, not critical, voice.

24:09 Creatives often undervalue or dismiss their legitimate achievements.

28:39 Small victories matter—acknowledge courage to pitch and publish.

33:48 Freelancing provided more satisfaction and momentum than acting.

36:57 Diverse backgrounds enrich your approach to writing and teaching.

40:33 Theater and improv help with webinars, workshops, and engagement.

 

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

CPT #102: Write It Down

This might be the most functionally important pep talk ever—and you may even know it already! It bears repeating, though, and I tell you why in this super-short episode.

Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playist!

Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! 

If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark! 

Preserving Memories with Andrew Darlow

Andrew Darlow is a New Jersey-based photographer, inventor, author, and digital workflow coach. For over 25 years he has helped people preserve, protect and back up their irreplaceable photos, videos and other digital files. His photography, tips and reviews have appeared in many publications and media outlets, including: People magazine, Animal Planet, Reader’s Digest and Professional Photographer Magazine. He is the author of four award-winning books, including his newest book: Focus and Filter.

Andrew talks with me about what drew him to photography, what we lost and gained in the shift to digital photography, the improvements in phone cameras in recent years, how best to preserve your photos—and weed out the junk—and more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

01:22 Creativity explored in childhood, grandparents encouraged art.

03:57 Transition from drawing on walls to discovering photography.

05:30 Fascination with darkroom photography and its magic.

07:00 Different methods in darkroom, use of contact printing.

10:00 Engagement with photography, schools in Washington D.C.

11:27 Shift from film to digital, instant access vs. patience.

14:41 Improvement in phone cameras, use for scanning documents.

15:59 Loss of thoughtful consideration with digital photography.

19:16 Exploration of aperture and shutter priority.

21:39 Impact of phone cameras on traditional photography.

23:44 Usefulness of phone photography courses.

24:25 Concept of the best camera being the one with you.

26:11 Ethical considerations in photography, respecting subjects.

28:06 Dangers of distractions, selfies, and phone use.

30:01 Tips for safely backing up digital images.

34:06 Managing and organizing digital photo collections.

38:12 Strategies for dealing with physical photo preservation.

40:27 Importance of online backup services like Backblaze.

43:39 Overview of local and cloud backup solutions.

47:31 Andrew's upcoming projects, including course platform.

51:19 Insight into unique, personalized photography prints.

 

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

CPT #101: What's Your Truth?

What's your truth? Do you know? You might not—we're often not taught how to tell what's true for us, and instead, we're told what should be true for us. So why should we care, and how do we find out? I'll give you some suggestions in this short episode.

Want more tips? Check out with all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!

Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! 

If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!

Wrangling the Doubt Monster with Amy L. Bernstein

Amy L. Bernstein is a multi-genre novelist, award-winning journalist, speechwriter,
playwright, poet, and nonfiction book coach. Her new book is Wrangling the Doubt
Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration. Amy teaches a variety of writing workshops and is a frequent guest on podcasts to discuss writing, publishing, and creativity. Amy joins me to talk about the difference between writing for hire and writing for yourself, the pros and cons of MFA programs, how deadlines can work for or against us, the universality of self-doubt and how it keeps us stuck, and a lot more.

Episode breakdown:

 

00:00 Introduction

01:14 Creative childhood and family influence.

02:14 Societal expectations and practicality pressures.

06:13 Navigating challenging career paths and personal fulfillment.

09:44 Shift from writing for others to personal projects.

14:25 Distinction between work and personal writing.

18:29 Importance of passion and creative drive.

21:37 Challenges of balancing work and creative pursuits.

25:43 Creativity hindered by productivity culture.

26:58 Thinking as part of the creative process.

31:09 Using local settings in novels and plays.

33:03 Introduction to Wrangling the Doubt Monster.

36:17 Universal nature of self-doubt in creativity.

44:06 Utilizing deadlines in different contexts.

48:39 Self-criticism and perfectionism in creativity.

50:55 The impact of upbringing on creative work.

54:35 Amy’s current projects and book coaching.

 

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

CPT #100: Take a Chance

Sometimes we don't act on ideas because we're convinced we can't sustain them long-term. Here's why you should take a chance—and how taking the leap on creative pep talks worked out for me. 🎉 Spoiler: This is pep talk ONE HUNDRED!!! 🎉

Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!

Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!

If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!

Changing Lives with Wendi Gordon

My guest today is Wendi Gordon, a mental and spiritual health writer, speaker, and coach. Wendi writes for various digital media outlets, including her own “Changing Lives” newsletter, where she shares her mental and spiritual health struggles and the resources and practices that have helped her change her life to help others change theirs. Wendi talks with me about how she chose to become a pastor, the art of writing in a church environment, including having a weekly prompt and having to deliver the product to a live audience; how sermon writing has influenced her current writing; her surprise decision to move to Maui from Pennsylvania and why she moved to Texas; what she’s learned from spending time in nature, and a lot more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction to Wendi Gordon and her work in mental and spiritual health.

01:18 Wendi's early creative experiences and the influence of writing in her life.

02:42 The creativity involved in being a pastor and related social work.

03:56 Journey to becoming a pastor inspired by a mentor.

06:22 Life-changing move from Pennsylvania to Maui and experiences in Hawaii.

08:21 Return to pastoral work and the impact of the pandemic on her career.

10:45 Facing political and denominational challenges in the church.

14:37 Transition from pastoral work to freelance writing and coaching.

17:18 The process of writing sermons and the influence of the church lectionary.

20:16 Facing public speaking and feedback as a pastor.

22:53 Unexpected reactions to sermons and dealing with feedback.

25:49 The creative process in freelancing and article pitching.

28:32 Bringing personal struggles into writing and helping others.

32:04 Addressing mental and spiritual health.

36:41 The intertwining of mental health with societal and political realities.

39:17 Sharing personal experiences to connect and help others.

42:14 Deconstruction and leaving behind harmful religious beliefs.

44:13 Viewing creativity as a spiritual experience.

47:27 Influence of nature and photography on creativity.

51:20 Spiritual and collective experiences at Bruce Springsteen concerts.

54:11 Impact of travel and different cultures on creativity.

57:04 Digital detox and the importance of being present in nature.

58:44 Encouragement to engage with nature and stillness.

 

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

 

CPT #99: Trust Yourself

Why should you start trusting yourself, and how do you start doing it more? I answer these questions in this super short episode.

Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!

Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks!

If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark!

Poetry and Viral Success with Jennae Cecelia

Jennae Cecelia is a best-selling author and poet known for her poetry books, Uncaged Wallflower, The Sun Will Rise and So Will We, and Healing for No One But Me. Her mission as an author is to comfort and encourage people. In addition to writing, she is focused on helping other authors learn how to successfully put their writing out into the world. Jennae joins me to talk about how she got her start with poetry, including her family’s reaction to the idea of poetry as a career; the unexpected experience of having a viral self-published poetry book; how she helps other authors master the art of self-publishing; what it’s like writing custom poetry for others, and more.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction
01:10 Jennae discusses her childhood imagination and family influences
03:55 Role models and seeing creativity as a realistic pursuit
05:16 Leaning into creativity after early publishing success
08:07 Family reactions to pursuing poetry as a career
10:49 Reflecting on misconceptions about job security and risks
13:39 Jennae's self-publishing strategies and viral book success
16:56 Building momentum with multiple books and Amazon rankings
20:36 The importance of poetry in paperback form
22:38 Impacts of viral success on her perspective and career
26:14 Jennae's writing process, journey from simplicity to detail
30:07 Finding readers through specificity in poetry
33:00 Advice for authors and importance of perseverance
37:34 Managing perfectionism in writing and publishing
40:49 Custom poetry projects and their meaningful connections
45:56 Emotional experiences writing for others, from weddings to memorials
49:12 Deciding to traditionally publish for broader reach and goals
55:09 Reflecting on the challenges and anticipation of traditional publishing

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.