Why do we spend money? Why do we own things?

You'd be surprised.

In today's short episode I explore with you why we buy and the benefits of living with less.

Is less more? 

And can we achieve more with fewer things and a simpler financial life.

In this short season of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

Find out more at:

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with all of the things you need to thing about?

Clearing our mind of mental clutter by writing things down can reduce overwhelm and anxiety.

And keeping lists can help us to prioritise, make better decisions and use our minds more effectively for other things that matter.

In this short episode, I explore with you the pros and cons of keeping lists; both written and digital.

And how lists can help us to plan our time.

We also explore why creativity is as much about getting things down as coming up with things...

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Interview with Charlie Gilkey from Productive Flourishing

Ruth Nuss blog

In this short season of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

Find out more at:

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

What does it mean to be honest in our lives and with our creative work or craft?

How do we live with greater integrity and truth?

Why aren't we honest with ourselves?

In today’s short episode I’d like to invite you to think about what it means to you to be honest….

It sounds simple yet I realise how much we tell ourselves, others, and the world, stories:

Stories we believe and crazy ideas that we truly believe and fool ourselves about almost anything that appears in our reality.

What does it mean to you to be honest

I share 5 ideas why a life working towards more honesty, and integrity and can make for a worthwhile journey as a creative.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Integrity by Martha Beck

One Last Talk by Philip McKernan

In this short season of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

Find out more at:

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

"Instant gratification takes too long..." - Carrie Fisher

Cultivating patience is an ongoing process that can improve your experience as a creative being.

In this short episode I explore with you how impatience and frustration can be a good clue we need to cultivate our own patience, which is essential for our creative work.

Hear how minor setbacks and failures can be stepping stones towards success.

And how every creative project has its own timeline: one that requires patience for the best results.

In this short season of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

Find out more at:

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Your own opinion matters.

In this short episode, I suggest that your own opinion matters more than anybody else's opinion;

Particularly if their opinion is embedded in criticism.

Often criticism or feedback or opinion comes from others unsolicited.

It can also come from a place of (their) fear.

Despite the unsettling nature of criticism and opinion, maintaining a balanced mindset is critical towards authentically expressing yourself.

Whilst it's important to listen to the opinions others, you only need to keep what you believe counts.

In this short season of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

Find out more at:

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Nature can induce a calming state and it can help us to change our perspective.

This is ideal for problem-solving and generating new ideas, which can lead to breakthroughs.

In this short episode I invite you to consider a more present-focused mindset by going outdoors;

An opportunity to change your state by going and connect with nature: to enhance your creativity and problem-solving abilities.

Are you happy with the results?

In this short season of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Your presence is a very powerful thing.

In this short episode, we explore the importance of being present and reflective in our fast-paced world;

Rather than a Western focus on constant doing and achieving and working towards a specific outcome.

So, today, I want to promote the idea and value of simply being with you.

And how experiencing the feeling of being can lead to powerful ideas and inspiration.

In this short season of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Today I want to challenge you to consider what you can subtract from your life to create more joy and power...and a greater sense of being creative.

Drawing upon the interview I had in the very early days of Inspirational Creatives, with minimalist blogger, Joshua Becker, I share with you 7 ideas for decluttering your mental, physical, spiritual, and digital space (in just 12 minutes.)

Together we can explore the idea of enhancing your life by removing the unnecessary: reassessing commitments, refining priorities, and creating room for reflection.

In this series of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

 

Today I want to explore with you the importance of dedicating time for your creativity and cultivating a deeper connection with your inner artist.

Hear why it's important and some ideas of how to work towards developing a daily routine involving creative play.

And why imperfection and exploring different creative activities can help you to overcome creative blocks and resistance.

In this series of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Creating this podcast hasn't been without its challenges.

I've faced resistance and perfectionism, and there have been times when I've doubted myself.

But despite these challenges, I've felt a strong need to express myself and share my ideas with you.

So, in this short episode, I explore with you the importance of authenticity and fearlessness in our creative work.

I share some of my own personal experience with resistance and perfectionism, emphasising the need for a little self-care and rewarding oneself when facing challenges such as embracing uncertainty 

And I explore with you the connection between fearlessness, courage and love.

In this series of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some ideas that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

"The most potent muse of all is our own inner child" - Stephen Nachmanovitch

The importance of reconnecting with our inner child to boost our creativity is not be understated.

It can lead potentially towards a more fulfilling life.

In my experience, the internal dialogue we have with our artist (child) within often offers us the path towards creative gold. Not that this is always an easy journey.

In this series of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some of the best tips that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings - to help you boost your creativity.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Have you ever heard of an energy vampire?

In this short podcast episode, I explore with you the concept of 'energy vampires', individuals who drain others' emotional, mental, and spiritual energy. 

It's important that we reduce exposure to such individuals for our own personal growth and creativity.

Have you had the experience of someone who drains your energy?

In this series of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some of the best tips that I've picked up towards improving our lives as creative beings.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

If you want to change how you feel, change your state.

Today I want to explore with you how going for a walk can improve your life and be great for your inspiration, sparking creativity, as a creative being, in 3 simple ways.

The book mentioned is:

Walking In This World: The Practical Art of Creativity by Julia Cameron.

In this series of 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some of the best tips that I've picked up from others and shared with others towards improving our lives as creatives.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

 

If you're feeling stuck or some kind of discomfort or uncertainty, there's a number of things that you can do to to transcend or transform your current life experience.

In the next 33 short episodes, I want to share with you some of the best tips that I've picked up from others and shared with others and have embodied, I hope, into my own life with some pretty decent results.

In this episode of the Inspirational Creatives, celebrating the launch of the podcast 9 years ago today, I'm sharing with you a series of 33 episodes dedicated to supporting you to improve your own creative life.

www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

In this episode you'll learn:

• How Sarah paints from a place of healing to empowerment
• How Sarah rediscovered her feminine nature through art
• The power of affirmation ladders

How do you make a living from your art?

How can you connect with your highest, creative self?

These are some of the most frequently asked questions amongst those that see themselves as creative. More so, then ever.

And they are questions we explore in this interview today.

In this episode, Sandra Lawrence interviews teacher turned artist and painter, Sarah Tomlinson, aka Girl With Many Secrets, from Vancouver, Canada.

Sarah is someone who has survived domestic abuse and turned her art in an opportunity to heal and help others.

Sarah shares her experience, revealing how, as a relatively new artist she sold her first painting and how she uses morning routines, affirmations and creative blocks as methods towards finding her truest, creative, self.

Hear how creative practice is an opportunity for growth and expansion.

And how your truest calling will find you - if you offer true self the opportunity to find you.

Items mentioned in this episode (quick access):

[00:59] Rob introduces this special episode - handing over the mic.

[03:20] Sandra introduces Sarah.

[03:47] Sarah shares more about herself.

[04:28] How long Sarah has been painting for.

[05:28] Creating as a child.

[06:55] Reconnecting with her own body through art.

[08:00] Embodying feminine power.

[09:00] How Sarah approaches each piece of her work.

[10:34] Sarah shares how her art has helped her to heal from her abusive relationships.

[13:00] What creativity means to Sarah.

[14:29] Creative education: creativity and schools.

[16:05] Animals and biology. Art finding Sarah.

[16:20] Sarah and Sandra talk about overcoming creative blocks.

[19:09] Bringing something unique into the world.

[20:32] Selling art.

[20:50] Affirmation ladders.

[21:49] Morning routines and creative productivity.

[23:16] Yoga, stretching and dance.

[23:58] Being aligned to your soul.

[24:38] Selling art #2. Becoming a full-time artist.

[26:05] Sarah’s advice to aspiring artists.

[28:31] Embracing vulnerability.

[29:59] Where you can find out more about Sarah and her work.

[30:45] Where Sarah came up with her online name.

[32:27] Rob offers some reflections on Sarah and Sandra’s chat.

Thanks for listening

www.inspirationalcreatives.com

In this interview, part two, chat with Phlearn founder, Aaron Nace, we explore pictures of friends, (dressed as clowns) to politically inspired, visually stimulating, images…

And telling stories with composite photos of cuddly creatures playing hide-and-seek with kids…

Aaron is clearly someone who enjoys his life, his work and his photography.

As the founder of Phlearn, Aaron has not only created a world-class professional teaching platform for students around the world interested in Photoshop and Lightroom skills;

He’s created a great place to work for himself and other creatives.

With over 600 tutorials and 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube, and counting, today, the Phlearn platform reaches folks through the power of video and tutorial in 149 countries from their base in Chicago.

In this episode, we explore more of Aaron’s journey, as a photographer and as an entrepreneur, and why he is so passionate about making his life and workplace a fun and exciting place to be everyday.

https://www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast/283-aaron-nace

Yasmin Nguyen is a survivor.

In the seventies, his family survived the jungle and Vietnam eventually escaping to South Korea, France then America.

When the lease on his apartment expired recently, film-maker Yasmin, chose to tour the country capturing moments of joy.

Having left the business world 20 years ago to become an entrepreneur, Yasmin shares what it means to share your story without being judged.

Hear how a moment of frustration and unexpected kindness shifted his trajectory.

And what it means to give ourselves permission to live a more joyful life.

Recorded live over a dinner table in Arizona.

http://www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast/263-yasmin-nguyen

http://www.joyfullivingproject.com

Are you amplifying your best ideas?

In a world facing social and cultural risks and challenges, and at a time of unprecedented change, Jeffrey Davis, believes we need to embrace collaboration.

…and our sense of wonder.

In this interview chat, the founder of Tracking Wonder reveals what he has learned about following the nature of our own creativity, curiosity and wonder;

How we can live life more intentionally without sacrificing our big ideas for profit.

To make a living from doing what, and serving those, we love.

Hear how he adjusts to the realities of life to stay focused on what he believes is the work of our lives and dreams.

And how living in the Hudson Valley and watching his daughters grow move and inspire him.

http://www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast/261-jeffrey-davis

https://trackingwonder.com

We all have an introvert within us.

And introverts have super powers.

Yet introversion is not an excuse to not be both sociable and creative.

According to founder of the League of Creative Introverts community, Cat Rose Neligan it’s all about energy quotas, mindset and surrounding yourself with the right people.

In this chat, blogger and podcaster, Cat Rose, shares with us what it’s like to be an introvert in a seemingly extrovert world.

Soon to launch her new academy for creative and introvert oriented types, you’ll hear how Cat pushed herself out of her comfort zone with her “year of fun.”

Learn how energy quotas and the right people help you to become more super-human.

And why you don’t need to follow the crowd (particularly when it comes to creating the life and business or work that you want…)

http://www.creativeintrovert.com/

http://www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast/257-cat-rose-neligan

Writing and journalling changed Dave Ursillo’s life.

In episode 251, part one of my chat with writer, healer and Unavoidable Writingteacher, Dave Ursillo, helped us to pull apart writer’s block to find out what’s really going on…

Dave helped us to understand our fear shadows.

In this episode, part two of our chat, we go deeper into Dave’s own personal story

Hear how journalling can change your life.

Dave introduces us to our soul-code and how writing can help us become the whole of who we are.

We also explore the benefit of creating a dedicated writing environment:

Making a home for your writing – somewhere you belong and a place for meaningful endeavour.

We also explore the interplay between home, harmony and wholeness.

http://www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast/253-dave-ursillo-part-2

Free e-book Writer's Block is Dead

https://unavoidablewriting.com/

Have we found the cure for writer’s block?

What does it feel like to be a free, unstuck, creative?

Does writer’s block really exist and, if so, what is it?

In this episode, we pull writer’s block apart and find out what’s really going on…to find out what’s on the other side.

Healer, teacher and writer, Dave Ursillo, returns to the show, for the third time, to unpack what we mean by writer’s block.

Sharing the last ten years of his life’s work, Dave reveals what he has learned helping hundreds of other writers to become an unstuck and thriving artist in their writing again.

In part one of this two part chat, hear about the three shadow behaviours and how the fear shadow can stop our creative progress.

Hot off the back of his recent Creative Live appearance, Dave shares his most recent wisdom, teaching us what writer’s block can reveal to us about being human.

Listen to what Dave’s early yogic experiences revealed to him as a writer and as a person.

And the value of self-awareness plus the 3 promises of writing.

http://www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast

Free e-book --> https://daveursillo.com/wb-is-dead/

https://unavoidablewriting.com/

What makes a brand successful?

In this week’s conversation, brand positioning expert Ulli Appelbaum reveals how he helps brands to tell their story – in new ways.

We explore the creative challenges for business people.

And how to see your brand from the outside in.

Hear how to overcome your own biases and the biggest enemy for your creative potential when it comes to your brand.

Ulli also reveals the more common mistakes when positioning a brand (and what to do about it.)

You’ll also hear what it takes to make a brand successful.

http://www.inspirationalcreatives.com/podcast/249-ulli-appelbaum

http://www.first-the-trousers.com

Right Click Here To Download This Episode Now Scroll down for detailed episode notes and quick access timings In this episode you’ll learn: Why we get stuck as creatives How do we know when we are procrastinating Why movement is so important to procrastination And also… Which powerful emotional blocks stop us? Why work ought […]

Listen Right Click Here To Download This Episode Now Scroll down for detailed episode notes and quick access timings In this episode you’ll learn: How creative energy is linked to fertility One of the signs people miss when attempting to have children How the energetic temperature of food affects us How stress affects our health […]

Listen Right Click Here To Download This Episode Now Scroll down for detailed episode notes and quick access timings In this episode you’ll learn: How a famous film director backed a songwriting crowdfunding campaign Why looking after yourself and feeling good is critical to your creativity Shawnee’s best advice for aspiring musicians In 2014, folk […]