Follow Your Curiosity

The Power of Mentorship with Tara Thieleke

Tara Thieleke’s art roots go back to her childhood, where two of her art teachers planted the seeds not only of the importance of art, but also of what kind of person she wanted to be. She’s been actively making and sharing art ever since, even though her path to school teaching took a few detours.

Tara tells us about those two teachers, what she’s learned from her students, how she applies improv’s “Yes, and…” mantra to her teaching and her life, and more.

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. 

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. 

Creative Pep Talk #19: Courage

Last week, I encouraged you to ask for the things you want, because it makes such a huge difference in the quality of your life and the experiences that are open to you. This week, I'm talking about the courage it takes to do that, because it sure can be daunting. Embarking on any creative pursuit takes immense courage, and pretending otherwise does no one any good.

The Colbert clip with Stephen Sondheim

Putting It Together from Sunday in the Park with George

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.

Creative Pep Talk #18: Ask

A bonus holiday pep talk about 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.

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.

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.