36K
Downloads
314
Episodes
Follow Your Curiosity is a creativity podcast for ordinary people who want to explore extraordinary creativity and do their creative work more easily.
I’m Nancy Norbeck, a Master Creativity Coach, and I host this show to help you move creativity from a "luxury" to a necessity in your life. Whether you are an exhausted perfectionist looking to reclaim your spark or a creator who wants to move past procrastination, I provide a sanctuary for messy, joyful creativity for people who long to feel human again.
Every other week, I share in-depth, unscripted interviews with people from all backgrounds about their creative lives. We explore how they got started, what shaped them, and how they found their way into their work. In the alternating weeks, I share Creative Pep Talk episodes featuring ideas, tools, and reflections designed to help you quiet your inner critic and take the smallest, easiest step back to your own aliveness.
Following my own curiosity often leads me into unexpected territory—including conversations connected to Doctor Who and the people who bring those stories to life, both in front of and behind the scenes.
Every episode stands on its own, so I invite you to start wherever your curiosity takes you. If you’re ready to practice this way of being in a community, I invite you to join me for a free Creativity Circle.
Join the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle: https://fyc.quest/Circle
Episodes
6 days ago
6 days ago
What happens when you realize the very things meant to connect us are actually stealing your creative spark?
This week, we conclude our special 30th-anniversary archive release with actor Paul McGann. Originally recorded in 2020, this conversation remains a vital guide for anyone trying to navigate a creative life without losing their humanity to the digital machine.
Paul shares his prolific journey into audio drama with Big Finish, his reflections on the different regenerations of the Doctor, and the fascinating reasons he decided to walk away from social media entirely. From his "favorite" role in Our Mutual Friend to the "theatre of the mind," Paul offers a masterclass in staying true to your own creative fingerprint.
I’m Nancy Norbeck, and I’m your Messy Muse Mentor. I help people feel alive again through creativity, curiosity, and play.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The Digital De-assimilation: Why Paul decided he didn't want to be the "kind of person" social media was making him.
- The Power of Audio: Why working in the "theatre of the mind" is qualitatively different and physically freeing.
- Richard E. Grant: A look at their rare on-screen reunion and the power of natural enthusiasm.
- The Next Story: Why for a professional actor, the most important role is always the one that’s coming next.
Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? Join the Creativity Circle.
Episode breakdown:
0:00 Part 2: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the TV Movie
1:40 Digital recording & the "wooden rabbit hutches" of Big Finish
4:15 Working fast: How to record a script in 6 hours
10:20 Dropping the extraneous: Learning while doing
12:56 Why Paul never watches or listens to his own work
17:15 Revisiting old roles like "holiday snaps"
19:11 Reunited with Richard E. Grant in Always Crashing in the Same Car
28:30 Stepping into Tom Baker’s shoes for Shada
36:52 Jodie Whittaker: "She cracked it instantly"
40:10 Matt Smith: The "beautiful skinny 12-year-old" alien
46:33 The 1996 audition: Why Phil Segal couldn't tell the brothers apart
51:00 Eugene Wrayburn: The role that "fitted" perfectly
1:09:10 "Are you on Twitter?" (The 2020 Social Media context)
1:15:45 The Jaron Lanier lesson: 10 arguments for deleting your accounts
1:20:20 How social media makes you a person you don't want to be
1:24:45 Richard E. Grant: A master class in natural enthusiasm
Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre and Doctor Who.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle.
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.
No comments yet. Be the first to say something!