Episode 49 – Showtime!

What it's like being on display with your art

Episode Notes:

Join us as we talk about Ginger's experience at the Taubman Art Museum's Sidewalk Art Show this past weekend in Roanoke, Virginia. We discuss the convergence of art and commerce, being on display along with your art and the power of the broader community. You can't predict the weather, although it was great for the show, and you certainly can't predict what or why people are going to buy art. Another reason to make art that excites you first and foremost.

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Episode 48 – Addition By Subtraction

Giving Your Creative Projects Room

Episode Notes:

If you've ever heard the idiom "greater than the sum of its parts", you know that Frankenstein's monster was a helluva guy. If you've ever heard someone say "less is more", they may have also been talking about Frankenstein's monster. But we digress. In this episode we shamble through the concept of leaving stuff out, not doing too much and provide some real world examples from Jonathan's visit to the virtual Nebula Awards conference. It's a hoot, owl tell you. A genuine hoot. Join us in the trust tree for another exciting episode.

NOTE: We apologize for leaving you, our dedicated listeners, high and dry last week. The truth behind the absence of the Creative DoubleShot last week and the machinations of the podiatric gods shall be revealed when you listen to this week's episode.

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Episode 47 – Giving Yourself Permission

"Thou Mayest" on so many levels

Episode Notes:

We get so hung up on things like measuring productivity, keeping in line with our own impressions of ourselves, and perfection that we forget we have the power to lay all that stuff aside in service of getting the most out of our creative practice. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and examine our narratives and notions to understand how impermanent--not to mention undermining--they are. This episodes all about you, so give yourself permission to join us for our patented CDS Empower Quarter Hour. Just rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?

Links:

  1. Breaks, Permission and Writing, Nathan Bransford
  2. Oprah's Book Club website on timshel and East of Eden
  3. Shitty First Drafts, excerpt from Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

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Episode 46 – Reflection As A Tool

Navel gazing gets a bad rap

Episode Notes:

Taking to time to examine what's come before has its utility. The trick is being able to tell the solid ground from the quicksand, but when you do, reflection works on so many levels, from the day to day to keep your focus and your enthusiasm, to recurring themes in your creative practice. And best of all, don't forget the mistake-a-tunities that present themselves on the regular. Take some time to navel gaze to enrich your creative practice.

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Episode 45 – Lassoing Intention

The secret power behind harnessing your creativity

Episode Notes:

If you ever find yourself wandering the foggy moors of creative practice with nary a flickering lantern to guide you, it may be time to set some intentions, intentionally working with all the intent you can muster. Sound confusing? It is! But only when you look at the concept inside Jonathan's brain. In this episode we talk intention and how it can help guide you even in your darkest creative hour.

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Episode 44 – Focus On The Good Stuff

Finding power in everyday wins to keep your creative practice properly fueled

Episode Notes:

In this episode we talk about focusing on the little victories to keep us going and keep the fires of begeisterung stoked. Too often we focus on the barriers to creating what we want, whether it be lack of time, immature craft, jealousy or a rug that needs a good vacuuming. Dump the negativity and seek out those little wins. This includes anything from trying or learning something new, completing a thing, reading something that inspires and so much more. Ginger talks about how liberating not showing her current work to anyone for seven months, which is unheard of. While Jonathan explores moving beyond intuition in character development in favor of employing new tools. This episodes got a lot packed into a short time, so listen closely and maybe you'll find something to help you find a treasure trove of things to cheer about.

Links: The Art of Character, by David Corbett Terra Ignota Series, by Ada Palmer Writing Excuses podcast

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Episode 43 – Creative Weekend Recap

Consider making your own creative workshop by changing the scenery

Episode Notes:

This past weekend we left our home for a modest cabin in the woods for a couple of days dedicated to creativity. It's not about productivity so much as it's about having the permission to ignore everything else and dig into those things that fill the soul, such as reading, playing music, journaling or just staring at the fire with a mug of hot coffee in your hand. Oh, and s'mores. Lots of s'mores. Clearly we think this is a good idea. And we hope you consider it for yourself, if you don't already.

Links:

  1. Draft No. 4, piece by John McPhee in the New Yorker
  2. Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process, by John McPhee
  3. Pity the Reader: How Kurt Vonnegut Made Me A Better Writer, Michelle Boring, Chatham University Blog
  4. A Review of Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell’s “Pity the Reader”, Zachary Houle, Medium

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Episode 42 – I Wish That I Knew What I Know Now

Received wisdom versus first-hand experience

Episode Notes:

Most of us look back at one point or another and wish we'd had the benefit of the hard won wisdom we now possess, but would our younger selves have been receptive? And even if they had, would they have put that wisdom to use? In this episode we discuss some of the things we think might have been useful knowing full well it may fall on unreceptive ears. We also harmonize badly and talk about conventional wisdom. Pull up a stool and grab some snacks and join us for another episode of the Creative DoubleShot.

Links: Pity The Reader, On Writing With Style by Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (New York Times: Book Review)

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Episode 41 – Craft or Crap: What's In A Name?

Craft as a tool in your creative toolbox

Episode Notes:

Craft is something that forms and evolves over time. It's also one tool of several you apply to your creative practice, albeit more akin to a multi-plier than a flathead screwdriver. Okay, that's probably enough of the tool metaphor. In this episode we talk about craft, ways to hone it, pitfalls to look out for and how being a lifelong student is a pretty solid approach enjoying its evolution.

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Episode 40 – Cultivating Ideas

First impressions can be misleading

Episode Notes:

Sometimes the idea you think you have is not the one you ultimately wind up with. We talk about ideas, not so much where they come from, but what to do with them once they drop into your skull like a quarter in a gumball machine. Because many initial ideas are born from things we've seen or heard, they may manifest at first as cliché, but give them time to percolate or work them over from many different angles, and you may just find the sweet spot that inspires you to keep going.

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