Follow Your Curiosity

CPT #108: Fake It Till You Make It

You've almost certainly heard the advice to "Fake it till you make it." It's good advice—some of the time. We don't talk about when it's best to avoid it, and that's what I'm talking about in this very short episode.

 

I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, let's talk. 

Want more tips? Check out 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! 

Don't Dream It—Be It with Barbara Hambly

Since her first published novel, Time of the Dark, in 1982, Barbara Hambly has touched most of the bases in genre fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, media tie-ins, graphic novels, screenplays, murder mysteries, and Saturday morning cartoons. Her work has been nominated for numerous Locus Awards, and her novel Those Who Hunt the Night won for Best Horror Novel in 1989. She’s also an avid martial artist. Barbara joins me to talk about marital arts and how they influence her writing, how she plots her work, the joys of research, trying to choose her favorite genre, and more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction.

04:20 Learning new skills for writing adventure stories: research hands-on.

08:37 Creativity exists beyond making a living; people pursue passions.

12:21 Encouragement versus discouragement shapes creative confidence in childhood.

16:27 Teased for writing fanfic, Hambly stopped sharing at school.

20:59 Martial arts experience improves fight scenes and knowledge in writing.

24:13 Hands-on weapon training reveals challenges for historical accuracy.

28:37 Martial arts philosophy influences character development and approach to life.

32:08 Aikido teaches problem-solving—step aside from incoming challenges.

36:27 Hambly outlines her novels; prefers clear goals in stories.

40:08 Timelining and detailed research ensure realistic historical fiction.

44:53 Exploring world-building, food, and logistics in fantasy and sci-fi.

48:22 Hambly’s favorite projects: historical fiction, fantasy, and vampire series.

52:02 Writing across genres, balancing commercial market and creative joy.

55:24 Hambly’s creative journey spans genres, driven by passion.

 

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

 

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

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’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

CPT #107: Rethinking "Hard"

What do you tell yourself when things get hard? Here's a short take on a different perspective to help keep you on track.

 

I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, let's talk. 

Want more tips? Check out 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! 

How Curiosity Fuels Your Creative Power with Terise Lang

Terise Lang is a certified life, health, and wellness coach with a lifelong interest in and love of all things creative. She joins me today for a wide-ranging discussion of the power of creativity, including the way she uses creativity in her work, how our creativity is so often socialized out of us in the name of more conformity, our tendency to define creativity too narrowly and then decide that we don’t have it, the hidden creativity in fields like software engineering and cooking, how managers unconsciously limit their staff’s creativity while trying to foster it, the impact of artificial intelligence on our creative lives, and more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction
04:21 Creativity gets socialized out, but it's dormant, not gone.
08:16 Everyone's unique perspective shapes creativity, even in simple family plays.
12:31 Start simply; creativity can revive with sketching, coloring, small experiments.
16:57 Software engineers, tech support, and problem-solving require creativity daily.
21:12 Recognize personal talents; downplaying strengths limits growth and joy.
25:24 Curiosity is essential—asking questions and exploring fuels creativity.
30:01 Coaching methods benefit from creativity; adapting routines yields effective results.
34:42 Tapping uses creativity; modifying it improves outcomes for clients.
38:56 Taking breaks, doing creative activities, and doodling refresh the mind.
44:14 Act your age debate; enjoying creativity is ageless and joyful.
48:13 Managers must encourage and credit staff creativity to boost morale.
52:47 Joy and growth flourish when creative self-expression is valued.
55:43 Society elevates machines, but AI can't replace human creativity.
01:00:42 AI uses resources, regurgitates information, can't replicate unique human writing.

 

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

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’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

CPT #106: You Really Do Know

Over the years, I've come to the often frustrating conclusion that we know more than we think we do. I tell you why in this short episode.

I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

Want more tips? Check out 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! 

Teaching, Empathy, and Living Abroad with Alex Poppe

Writer, teacher, and humanitarian aid worker Alex Poppe joined me last year to talk about her journey from acting to teaching to writing, and how her experiences abroad influenced her journey. She returns to the show today to talk about her new memoir, Breakfast Wine, which chronicles her time teaching in Iraq. We also talk about what we each learned from living abroad at different ages and for different amounts of time, the special magic of teaching teens and young adults, and the way the arts teach us empathy and are a uniquely human way to give life meaning. Alex, who worked for USAID, also gives us a glimpse of the power of humanitarian aid around the world.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

04:18 Teaching international students changes perceptions about other cultures.

08:16 Political divisions and cultural nuances within Iraq explained.

12:26 Americans are insulated from ongoing events in Iraq.

16:09 Motivations for living abroad differ by age and situation.

20:47 Financial reasons and curiosity drive educators to work overseas.

24:39 The emotional impact of teaching youth in conflict regions.

28:14 Teachers and students mutually influence each other's lives deeply.

32:34 Adjusting to working with USAID and NGO environments.

36:00 Culture shock of returning to the US after years abroad.

40:26 Living abroad changes your outlook and maturity in many ways.

44:11 Encountering anti-American sentiment versus curiosity abroad.

48:09 The arts foster empathy and human connection in society.

52:28 Creative collaboration and failing exuberantly in brainstorming sessions.

56:01 The writing process of Breakfast Wine was messy and surprising.

01:03:34 Personal journey revealed through the writing process.

 

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

 

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

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’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

CPT #105: 16 and Faking It

Here's a super-short story: something a friend said to me once that's stuck with me, and why I think it might help you keep some needed perspective on yourself and your creative efforts.

I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

Want more tips? Check out 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! 

Harnessing Nature's Wisdom with Jocelyn Hastie

Jocelyn Hastie spent 30 years as an accountant before the combination of a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and a sudden job loss forced a radical turn, leading her to work full-time with horses as a way to foster leadership skills and personal growth. She joins me to talk about why it’s not fair to judge accountancy as boring, how bad management and leadership happens (including her own realization that she was a bad manager), what we lose when we forget the lessons of the natural world and our roots in it, what we can learn from the animals around us—including horses—and more.

Read about a lesson I learned from Jocelyn here.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

04:25 Family influence suppressed creativity; art rediscovered after cancer diagnosis.

08:32 Jocelyn reflects on common misconceptions about accounting creativity.

12:39 Accountants add value, not just boring number crunchers.

16:32 Jocelyn’s career choice influenced by her father and education.

20:06 Radical life change after cancer and job loss in 2016.

24:35 Horses revealed Jocelyn's management flaws; learned new leadership styles.

28:09 Importance of authenticity and boundaries, not pleasing everyone.

32:25 Animals and nature as teachers for leadership and mindfulness.

36:05 Jocelyn describes her non-riding retreats and somatic awareness.

40:34 Emphasizes intentional learning versus just-in-case learning.

44:05 Life shifts can come from crisis or noticing “little knocks.”

48:54 Childhood expectations shaped independence; cancer forced acceptance of help.

52:23 Lessons from herd dynamics and horses’ instinct to regain calm.

56:07 Gestalt coaching emphasizes honoring emotions and shaking off fear.

 

If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

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 #104: Limitations

It's counterintuitive, but sometimes limitations are your best friend, especially when you're doing something creative. I explain why in this super-short episode.

Listen to my conversation with Nick Morrison here.

I teach women how to reignite their lost creative spark. If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

Want more tips? Check out 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! 

Building Worlds on Page and Screen with Josh Mendoza

My guest today is Josh Mendoza, an award-winning filmmaker known for his post-apocalyptic feature film, What Still Remains. His debut novel, Shadow of the Eternal Watcher, which combines sci-if and film noir, was released in January. Josh joins me to talk about his start in creative writing and his move into film, the similarities and differences in writing fiction and film, the necessity of learning through failure, the democratization of creative pursuits like filmmaking, and more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

04:42 Family support fuels persistence in creative pursuits.

08:51 Emphasizing positivity over negativity in sharing creative feedback.

13:40 Unexpected audience reactions highlight creators' limited control.

16:25 Importance of not focusing on negative reviews or criticism.

20:14 Film structure rules help shape and tighten storytelling in novels.

24:05 Editing and trimming elevate both novels and screenplays significantly.

28:14 Books become lasting physical achievements compared to shelved scripts.

32:07 Movie-making demands flexibility and compromise with real-world constraints.

36:02 Intellectual property’s role in getting projects greenlighted discussed.

39:56 Technology enables democratization, but creates challenges in standing out.

44:02 Bad creative work is necessary learning for improved future art.

48:13 Letting characters shape the story often leads to authenticity.

52:10 Duster Raines, Josh's protagonist, is both flawed and compelling.

55:38 Genre mashups and series building.

 

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

 

If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

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.