Follow Your Curiosity

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. 

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!