Follow Your Curiosity

Creative Pep Talk #17: Flow vs. Pressure

Have you ever been in a state of flow? I'll bet you've been under pressure. What's the difference between these two states? They can be easily confused, so I'm here this week to share some thoughts on the critical differences between flow and pressure (and a few overlaps!).

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, or Twitter! You can also watch these pep talks on YouTube. I post pretty regularly on TikTok ,too.

Noticing Our Patterns with Kate Chapman

Kate Chapman knew at a young age that Broadway was “the answer” to where she wanted to be. She made it, though it wasn’t easy, with performances ranging from Les Mis to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. In the last decades she’s become more and more interested in helping others with their health, via both health and life coaching, though she doesn’t think she’ll ever stop singing. We talk about how she kept hope alive while waiting for her big break, how her own health journey led her to coaching, and how the health system is often stacked against consumers. Kate even sings a song for us—And we fangirl over Martha Beck and Elizabeth Gilbert a little, too. 

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

Creative Pep Talk #16: Finding Your Audience

We've talked before about comparison, perfectionism, and self-rejection, but the conversation is not complete without reflecting on the fact that not everyone is your audience. Finding your audience is an aspect of the creative process that can easily be de-prioritized or even ignored. Here's why you want to make sure you very carefully consider it.

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, or Twitter!

Setting Up Success with Madeleine Holly-Rosing

My guest this week is Madeleine Holly-Rosing, creator of the Boston Metaphysical Society series. Since beginning that series, Madeleine has created graphic novels, novels short stories, a coloring book, and is currently working an audio drama. Oh, and she’s run NINE Kickstarters and has literally written the book on the subject: Kickstarter for the Independent Creator. And she's made helping others succeed one of her chief business priorities.

We talk about Kickstarter (including her latest), the intersection between screenwriting and graphic novels, working with collaborators for those graphic novels—and how much more diverse creators and fans are than many people realize—leaving room to be surprised in your creative work, and much more. 

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! 

Wisdom: What is Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching?

For this week's pep talk, I'm sharing another recent Wisdom talk, in response to a question from a guest about just what Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching is. It's been a long time since I've talked about it on the pod, and I've never done it in a short, specific form that's easy to find, so now seemed like a good time. 

If you think KMCC might be for you, get in touch! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!  Want to give it a whirl on your own first? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

This Plus That with Brandi Stanley

Brandi Stanley spent a lot of time working in branding and marketing before she could no longer avoid the truth: it just wasn’t what she was supposed to be doing. But just what was she meant to do instead? It’s a question so many of us ask, and we all know it can take time to find the answer. In Brandi’s case, it turned out to be using all the skills she’d developed already to make connections between things that seem unconnected, and bring them to others via her podcast, This Plus That.

We talk about that journey, the art of being “ready,” the magic that happens when you start taking steps toward the things you really want to do, and the concept of aliveness—which is a whole lot bigger and more profound than you might expect.

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!

Wisdom: Listening to Your Body AND Your Mind

I've been beta testing the new Wisdom app over the last two weeks, which is sort of like a cross between a podcast and Clubhouse, where I can not only share my own thoughts and insights, but also talk to others about them. I thought you might like to hear what happens on that platform, and I'm hoping you'll check it out when the app makes its full release in a few weeks—I'd love to get to talk to you!

This episode is longer than my pep talks since it includes conversations with three guests. I hope it gives you a sense of what Wisdom will be like, and that you enjoy the discussion. Learn more about the app here.

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

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, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.

Finding YOUR Way with Isabelle Hardesty

Isabelle Hardesty started her creative life in visual art and fashion before trying her hand at writing. Inspired in part by her childhood in South Florida, her most recent novels are The Witch of Belle Fleur, and its upcoming sequel, Midnight in Belle Fleur. We talk about the importance of listening to our intuition, being sure YOU like your own work, why she self-publishes, the responsibility creatives bear for the messages we put out into the culture, the revision process, and more. 

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 #15: Rule Number Six

This week I have a more lighthearted look at things that get in our way, riffing off a great story from Zander and Zander's book The Art of Possibility. Maybe you, too, would benefit from remembering Rule Number Six?

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, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.

Age-Decoded with Mark Ryall

Author Mark Ryall explores the exciting, and ethically daunting, world of genetic engineering in his novel, Age-Decoded. Focused on the current technology called CRISPR, he explores the wide variety of possibilities the technology opens up. It’s a project that brings together his background in math and science as well as teaching. Our conversation digs into the technology, the unusual path to his first encounter with it, and how he used the novel format to delve into the opportunities and issues it presents. We also talk about how important it is to find what Mark calls your genuine self, especially if the path you’re meant to be on isn’t obvious to you.

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.

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY.