Follow Your Curiosity

Creative Pep Talk #48: Resolutions

We all know resolutions don't work, or at best, don't work for long. So what does? I'll tell you in this short episode.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes

Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news and Mastodon!

Art and Politics with Maria James-Thiaw

Award-winning poet, performer, playwright, and educator Maria James-Thiaw has published several books of poetry and founded the Reclaim Artist Collective, which seeks to to raise consciousness about social justice issues impacting marginalized communities through its arts-based, anti-racist curriculum. Her latest collection, Count Each Breath, examines her experiences as a Black woman in the American healthcare system.

Maria joins me today to have the conversation we floated when she first came on the show in 2019, about the intersection of art and politics. Is it even possible to disconnect them? We tackle this question, as well as the political implications of the focus on STEM education, what happens when we relegate the arts to an afterthought, and how driven creative folks find ways to earn money from their art or artistic skills.

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!

Creative Pep Talk #47: Worthy Rivals

Who's your best creative rival? The answer might be closer than you think.

Inspired by Simon Sinek's video called "Worthy Rivals."

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes

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,  Twitter, or TikTok.

Replay: Portraits of Peace with John Noltner

Every year at the holidays, I feature one of my favorite episodes from the past year. I hope you find encouragement in my conversation with John Noltner of A Peace of My Mind.

My guest today is John Noltner, a writer and photographer whose project, A Peace of My Mind, has produced three books, the latest of which is Portraits of Peace: Searching for Hope in a Divided America. John’s freelance photography career took him all over the world for a variety of national magazines, but the 2008 recession, along with his increasing awareness of the growing divide in American society, called him to explore both the breadth of human experience and the things that we have in common but tend to lose track of thanks to the relentless news cycle. I think John will leave you feeling much more hopeful about our world, and how you might do your part to bring us closer. 

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you connected with a stranger.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!

Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Register here.

Creative Pep Talk #46: Find Your People

It's absolutely critical for all of us to find our people—especially the people who share and understand our creative calling. In this short-but-sweet episode, I'll tell you why.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes

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,  Twitter, or TikTok.

Encouragement Through Song with Lowry Olafson

Lowry Olafson knew from a young age that he wanted to be a musician, and like so many other aspiring musicians, had to figure out how to make it work—and he did: he has released nine albums and performed around the world. He is also the founder and creator of PowerSongs—deeply meaningful, personal songs for a wide range of individuals and groups—and PowerSongs Pro, for businesses and other organizations. Lowry talks with me about the moment that changed his perspective on his musical prospects, immersing himself in the musical scene in Perth, Australia, how he developed the idea of PowerSongs, how he’s created them for individuals and school groups, and just why they make such a lasting impression on his clients.

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when music inspired you to do something new. 

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. 

 

Replay: Creative Pep Talk #18: Ask

I've been under the weather, so here's a pep talk from last year: a simple tool that can make your life SO much better. ASK. Yup, that's it. It's simple, but not always easy — but the benefits are totally worth it. I'm sharing how it's helped me and why you should step out of your comfort zone to ask more often, too.

I'll be back next time with something new! :)

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes

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,  Twitter, or TikTok.

Replay: No What Ifs with Jon Davey

As always, at the holidays, I feature one of my favorite episodes from the past year. For Thanksgiving, I'm highlighting my conversation with Jon Davey, who shared his unique perspective on finding your own way when you don't seem to fit into the mold of "normal." Enjoy!

Actor, photographer, and filmmaker Jon Davey has appeared in more than 50 episodes of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005, particularly as a variety of monsters including Cybermen, Daleks, Ood, and Judoon. He’s also done behind-the-camera work on a variety of projects, including quite a few music videos for Radiohead. He joins me to talk about how he came to those roles, as well as what it’s like to meet fans at a convention when you grew up as a fan yourself, how growing up with learning issues including dyslexia equipped him for an unconventional career, and the value of questioning your assumptions about yourself and what “normal” means to you. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you had to find your own path.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!

 

Creative Pep Talk #45: Wild

Last week, Dr. Kelly Flanagan and I talked about getting back to what's wild in us. Here's how doing that can help your creative process (and your whole life).

Please leave a review for this episode, and in it, tell us about a time when you let your wild come out to play. 

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes.

”Unhiding” with Dr. Kelly Flanagan

When I started this podcast in 2019, Dr. Kelly Flanagan was one of my inaugural guests, and his episode, “The Gifts of Creativity,” remains one of my favorites. Kelly has just published his first novel, The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell, and I wanted to talk to him about how that experience differed from writing nonfiction, and about the book itself. We delve into those questions and various subjects raised by the book, including how we look outside ourselves (and sometimes to our creative work) to find our worth, the value of letting out our wild sides, how the things we do for security often actually undermine us, and how Kelly sees the intersection of spirituality and creativity. As an added bonus, we have a copy of the book to give away to a listener—stay tuned to hear those details at the end.

Here are the posts for the giveaway: Instagram and Twitter.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing! And you can find Kelly's first appearance on the podcast here.

If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.