Follow Your Curiosity

Creative Pep Talk #44: Comebacks

So how do you keep yourself "doing it anyway"? It helps to talk back to the naysaying voices in your head. It helps even more if you know what you're going to say in advance.

Please leave a review for this episode, and in it, tell us what your favorite comeback is. 

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.

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

Writing from the Trenches with John Roedel

Not quite two years ago, writer John Roedel, author of the Hey God, Hey John poems that have gone viral online (and the collection of the same name) joined me to talk about how he ended up “talking to God” and what he’s learned from that experience. (If you haven’t heard it, you’ll want to check it out.) I asked John to come back and tell us how he’s shifted into helping people discover their true selves and write authentically from the heart.

John and I talk about everything from the way improv has influenced that decision to what happens when we connect from our authentic selves and the stories that made us. We also delved a little into how that kind of small, empathetic, interpersonal connection might help to mitigate our current societal malaise.

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you got vulnerable and communicated from the heart. 

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 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!

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

Creative Pep Talk #43: Do It Anyway

Is whatever's holding you back from your creative call really enough reason to give up? Not likely. Here's why you really should do it anyway.

Ben Folds agrees with me: take a listen.

What are the six biggest creative beliefs that are screwing up your process? Find out here!

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

Inside Book Publishing with Tom Colgan

My guest this week is Tom Colgan, editorial director at Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Tom has spent more than 35 years championing such authors as Tom Clancy, Mark Graeney, and Janet Evanovich. We talk about how he got his start as an editor, what editors do and don’t do (you may be surprised!), how the creative process is different for everyone, and why, despite coming up with many ideas for books, he doesn’t dream of writing one. He also has some advice for aspiring authors.

I would love for you to leave a review for the show, and in it, tell us about your relationship with books and writing.

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.

If you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, you owe it to yourself to get my free 6 Creative Beliefs That Are Screwing You Up series—it’ll slice through those myths to help get you back on track!

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

Creative Pep Talk #42: Motivation

If you've been waiting to feel motivated to do your creative work, you may be surprised to learn that you're actually doing things backwards. (If you haven't listened to the Pep Talk about "Five Minutes," I suggest you listen to it in conjunction with this one!)

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

Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Learn more and register here.

Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY. 

Sales for Creatives with Annie P. Ruggles

It’s no secret that a lot of creative people absolutely love doing their creative work, but seize up at the idea of selling it. I invited Annie P. Ruggles, also known simply as Annie P., to the podcast to share why selling doesn’t have to be evil, and how to get around our fears and worries involving selling creative work. Annie, a former theater kid, now runs the Non-Sleazy Sales Academy, which aims to help those of us who are marketing and sales averse get our work into the world in an ethical way we can feel good about. We talk about the myth that arts and humanities degrees are worthless, why selling—and buying—are things we all do all the time, how to price creative work, how to avoid falling into the trap of creating solely to make money, and more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction and ethical selling.

06:01 Dad hated engineering, so choose passion instead.

08:21 Indecisive about practicality vs. passion for education.

10:53 Hosted quirky singing contests, now a marketing assistant.

16:39 Art and selling both aim to engage.

17:38 Ethical selling guides emotions for a purpose.

21:53 Challenges the idea of corruptible consumption.

26:17 Customer service, group calls, trading time. Avoiding negotiation and chaos.

30:04 Struggle to afford it, observe positive behaviors.

33:03 Set the price based on labor and creativity.

37:27 Curiosity about success beyond traditional careers persists.

40:47 Avenue Q song questions value of English degree.

42:36 Create for passion before seeking financial gain.

47:00 Some people don't like anime or cosplay.

50:24 Overcoming societal norms to pursue creative passions.

55:29 Having honest conversation, avoiding being manipulative.

Please leave a review and in it, tell us about your relationship with money and creativity!

Want more? Check out this playlist with all my previous entrepreneurial guests!

Sign up for my FREE monthly Unconventional Inspiration Circle here: https://fycuriosity.meetfy.online/uic

Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY. 

 

Creative Pep Talk #41: Listen To Your Wisdom

Once you've wrangled with the truth, what do you DO with it? (Spoiler: don't ignore it.)

Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you listened to your wisdom! 

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

Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Learn more and register here.

Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY. 

Authenticity and Enthusiasm with Hillary Webb

Hillary Webb describes herself as a cultural anthropologist, author, and mixed-media storyteller with a focus on theater anthropology and cross-cultural perspectives on human consciousness. It’s a mix that covers a lot of territory, both literally and figuratively. Hillary has traveled the world for research on shamanism and consciousness, and has even managed to stumble into the world of stand-up comedy in Berlin. We talk about Western ideas of individualism and how they influence our ideas of being part of a group, how those dynamics function in a place like Peru, and how they all influence our senses of who we really are. We also explore the current cultural ideal of authenticity and how it intersects with enthusiasm—and come to a conclusion that might surprise you.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, and in it, tell us something you're enthusiastic about, whether large or small.

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.

Need a dose of calm and wonder? Join me for Gratitude and Wonder! Register here.

Creative Pep Talk #40: The Truth

Do you recognize and respect the truth? Or is your relationship with it a little different? Spoiler: It may not be what you think it is! 

Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when you realized you were trying to outwit the truth! 

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

Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Learn more and register here.

Feeling stuck in your creative process? Or wondering how to start having a creative process at all? Check out my super-affordable Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get moving TODAY. 

Replay: It’s Gonna Be Great with Paul ”PB” Bessenbacher

[I'm on vacation this week, so I'm re-upping one of my favorite interviews from the last year. I'll be back with new episodes next week!]

Musician Paul Bessenbacher, known to his friends and fans as PB, lives a genuine optimism best summed up in his signature statement: “It’s gonna be great.” PB has followed the flow of that sentiment from an undergraduate degree that let him experiment with every genre he could find, to learning recording engineering on the fly, to forming a band—more of a collaboration—Opus Orange. Oh, and he also composes for film.

We talk about all that and particularly about how he navigates the flow, avoids being bogged down by worry, and why we should all embrace failure and give each other grace for being imperfect.

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. Learn more and register here.