Audacity Works

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It had to be done.  Imma say it out loud.

• Listen to The Movement Maestro's podcast that inspired this one:  "Should you share your political views on social media?"  It's so good.
• The 4 Calls App 10:00
• Your life has VALUE 14:00
• The waitlist for The Audacity Project is open!  Enrolling this month! 
• There are still 2 spots left officially for Creatrix in May!

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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By request from my friend Lizzie who asks:  How to deal (or not) with people who don’t get it. It = circus, no longer wanting stability and pleasures of muggle life, wanting to train hard and achieve.

What you'll hear:

• Creatrix: Unleash the Muse is open and ready for you!  Information and application here. 2:20
• What it can look like when people just don't get it.  3:00
• "One half the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other" 
• Let them misunderstand you.  Let them.  5:30
• When you choose your boldness and your ambition, you could trigger the fuck out of somebody.  9:00
• If you can remember that their disapproval might be built on their own grief/anger/fear for you and your safety, it might be easier to understand them.  The good news is, you don't need them to understand you.  
• "If a person's behavior doesn't make sense to you, it's because you are missing a part of their context."  -Devon Price 12:00
• This really comes full circle from my very first episode:  Cheers!  to the irresponsible 16:00

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Continuing from last week's conversation- I'm tackling the question from my girl Ali about "what to do about undercutting uuuugggghhhh"

What you'll hear:

• Avenues you can pursue to make a living wage as a performer without doing anything else 1:15
• On last week's episode- flipping the script
• Subject #1:  UNDERCUTTING.  What it is and why it happens.  2:50
• Why it doesn't happen in other industries the way it does in the freelance performance gig industry 4:00
• Two frustrating truths about how to handle undercutting: 7:00
  • #1:  The ONLY action I can confidently say actually works to confront undercutting in your community is having the conversations with the people doing it.
  • #2:  Why it will continue to happen even if you are having these conversations. 8:30
• Ask me how I know (it was me.  I was the problem, it's me.) 9:40
• The answer to the question- why did I create The Audacity Project?  11:15
  • You can learn more about it and sign up for the waitlist here
• What NOT to do about undercutting and wanting to be marketable 13:36
• The questions I do recommend asking yourself 15:30
• To those who say "I'm afraid of stepping on someone's toes" 17:30
• In closing...nearly every industry I observe is built to exploit those who engage with it.  We can know that and we can still have excellent lives in integrity 19:30
• Creatrix is open to the public!  I would love to guide you towards the thing that is most authentic to you as an artist, and teach you some witchcraft while we're at it.  21:30

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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I've been putting this episode off for a while because it's DENSE.  It's a bit of a bite-sized master class in this subject, according to me.  All my gratitude to the 100+ artists who have talked with me about this in my career, and especially to TaiTai for asking the question:  "How to leave my fucking morning job without having plan B and I still have bills to pay."

What you'll hear:

• A question for you:  "Why did you get into this/what do you want to get out of it?" 2:00
• It's not WORSE.  It's just DIFFERENT. 8:50
• When you workin, you ain't trainin.  Why it's difficult to upskill at the same time you are working 10:23
• I highly recommend you buy this book (available on a sliding scale, including for free!) by Andrew Simonet:  Making Your Life as an Artist.  Scroll down on this page to see the sliding scale options!! 11:00
• Ok, after all that and you still want to perform full time, here is some actionable advice 15:00
  • #1:  Have 6-12 months of your living expenses saved (I recommend all humans have 3 months at all times)
  • #2:  All savings accounts should be high yield savings accounts with 3.5% interest or more
  • #3:  Get rid of your credit card debt, it's too expensive 17:50
    • Get Ramit's book I Will Teach You to be Rich to learn how to do this, and much more cool shit that will help you.
  • #4:  Know your non-negotiables and make good note of them.  They will dictate the parameters in which you can explore opportunities.
  • #5:  Find out how much your life cost per month 20:00
  • #6:  Familiarize yourself with the Profit First System.  Here is a spreadsheet you can make a copy of and use!  23:00
    • Here are some suggested percentages to get you started (they are on the spreadsheet, and you can change them according to your needs):
      • 50% profit/owner's pay goes to you, to pay for groceries, clothing, Netflix, etc.
      • 30% goes to business expenses like training, costumes, travel to gigs, scheduling software, etc.  (I just leave this 30% in my business checking account)
      • 5% to all purpose savings (in a high yield savings account of course)
      • 15% to another high yield savings account with which to pay your taxes.
      • If you need pro help, Sandi York is THE BEST and very familiar with creative businesses.  She was the source for the profit first spreadsheet I shared above.  24:44
  • #7:  TALK TO PEOPLE.  Use your mentors.  Get a mentor.  Please do not skip this step.  There is no reason whatsoever that you should suffer unnecessarily when we could save you some grief.
  • #8:  Have your shit together (website, bio, demo, headshots, etc)
• Speaking of making a website, that's exactly what The Audacity Project is for!  I'm enrolling cycle 28 in February.  The best place to know about it is the waitlist, which you can find here!  28:00
• A review of all the actionable advice 29:00
• Creatrix is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!  come play in the warmth with me!

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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What you'll hear:

• Creatrix is open to the waitlist!  It will open to the public January 20th.  You can click here for details and questions are always welcome.  You can DM me on Instagram or Patreon.  2:00
  • full disclosure, there's no plans to hold another Creatrix retreat at this time.
• Question from Rachel:  why I sign off with "Don't go back to sleep."  The story behind it 3:10
• The first Patreon post where I mention "Don't go back to sleep."
• The poem itself, you can read here 6:00
• "Know thyself (and act accordingly)" 7:15
• What I am suggesting by this sign off 9:30
• Question from Kate:  How do you create (and keep) the time you set aside for creative work? If I don't do my morning pages actually in the morning, they get steamrolled by the day. Even when an artist date is scheduled on my calendar I sometimes find myself prioritizing other people (who I love and cherish) over my artist date or morning pages or creative exploration time, etc. 10:00
• An experiment you can try next time you have the opportunity to defend your boundaries around your creative time 13:29
• Question from Michelle:  How to support another artist thru rejection/disappointment? 16:30
• What to say to them that could actually be helpful 18:30
• What NOT to say lol 20:00
• What you can ask when your friend is ready to move forward from the grief stage after a disappointment 21:38

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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By request from Rachael via Instagram (what's up Rachael!) asking me to discuss the uncomfortable state of being obsessed/in love with something but not yet good at it.

What you'll hear:

• Creatrix applications are official open to waitlist!  Click here to get a reminder (I'll notify you if the spaces have been filled).
• How the discomfort between being a beginner and having high standards of excellent can manifest 2:26
• There are no shortcuts to development, and if there were, I'd advise against it 3:50
• Ambition is precious, and should be honored while it's breathing fire 4:25
• How this cognitive dissonance between where I was and where i wanted to be manifested for me when I was a beginning 6:00
• How to actively celebrate that which you already have on the table- make a brag list! 9:00
• How to include the AND while acknowledging your gremlins 12:00
• What an absolute fuckin legend you are for pursuing your love in spite of your gremlins 13:30
• If you want to read the full story about Agnes de Mille and Martha Graham, you can do that here. 
• How you can deal if someone dismisses you when you tell them what you want 20:30

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Send us Fan Mail

What you'll hear:

• Episode 112, where I outline how I chose my word of the year this year 1:30
• My word of the year:  EVOLVE and some ways that will show up for me
• Reminder to patrons of the Coven tier and higher, one of your rewards is a hand-penned calligraphy of your word of the year, so keep an eye out for a message from me via Patreon in the next couple of days 2:52
• My #1 priority moving forward in 2025 3:26
• An intentional shift in my perspective moving forward for artists and creators to frame which opportunities we choose to pursue 6:30
• Accessible questions you can ask yourself and refer to when trying to decide if an opportunity is a good fit 11:42
  • Am I able to ask questions and get answers on safe working conditions?
    • What our responsibility is FIRST
  • Do I feel respected when I engage with this organization and/or these individuals? 14:25
    • Feeling respected and cared for is a somatic experience.  Here's an exercise on how to know what that feels like in YOUR body 15:39
    • My example for this comes from 2024's invitation to speak at BossUp at the invitation of the greats: Dr. Shante Cofiled of The Movement Maestro and Jill Coleman of JillFit
  • Updated contract recommendations from my friend and alumni who inspired this episode 18:00
  • "Surely your father could have traded down a few ducats for an ounce of virility?" from Dangerous Beauty 21:00
  • NYD rituals from the south 22:45
  • What you can expect from the podcast in 2025  23:15
  • Creatrix applications will open to patrons on the Patreon at 9am on January 4th
  • Any remaining spots will go to the public waitlist on January 8th at 9am

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Support this podcast on Patreon

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With all the talk about the light returning (which is very fair and which I add to in the canticle) how about we actually sit with this long darkness of winter and honor what we find there.  

What you'll hear:

• Applications for Creatrix 2.0 will open January 4th at 9am EST for my patrons, you can become one here  
• Any remaining slots will be offered to the waitlist on January 8th, you can join that here
• Holiday updates from my house to yours 2:25
• Refusing to accept invisible labor and therefore giving a finger to the patriarchy one boundary at a time 3:00
• How can we honor the dark of winter instead of just impatiently waiting for it to end?  7:00
• Shadow work baby!  If you're new to it, I'd start with this very accessible approach from Dr. Carolyn Elliott, Existential Kink 8:30
• Introducing you to three shadow aspects of myself that I have grown to love very much:
  • 1:  The tunnel-visioned, stubborn AF and foot-stamping, logic-ignoring insistence to do what I want, and how I got to know her  10:30
  • 2:  The addict...the self aspect with an immense capacity for excess  14:00
  • 3:  The raging bitch :) and how I got to know her  16:30
• Fun ways to uncover your own shadow aspects and what they are protecting 19:39
• Wanna leave me a review?  I'd love that! 21:19

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Send us Fan Mail

What you'll hear:

• Wanna leave me a review?  I'd love that! 1:00
• Applications for Creatrix 2.0 will open January 4th at 9am EST for my patrons, you can become one here  2:00
• Any remaining slots will be offered to the waitlist on January 8th, you can join that here
• Why I chose to wait until January to open applications (spoiler, it's because no-work December starts the day this episode airs) 2:30
• The best cheese is Delice de Bourgogne 5:00
• End of the year bonfire and what I burned 5:45
• Claude, the chatgpt bot who helped me find my word of the year after a suggestion from Lex Lancaster 9:00
• Why words of the year and other end of the year rituals are valid aspects to maintaining a magical practice 11:40
• "Magic is easy, magic is everywhere." told to me by my dear friend Kristina Canizares
• Year in Review practice- I've done this every year since I can remember, always very illuminating 15:00

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Find me on Instagram
Support this podcast on Patreon

Send us Fan Mail

I'm not a talented gift giver, so I really appreciate personal recommendations for products and companies that are good to work with, ethically sourced, and/or just solid products.  What you'll hear:

• How the show this past weekend at Bloom Movement Artistry went (spoiler, it was awesome) 3:00
• The power of asking for what you need 4:30
• Ficarre hair clips:  $50 and worth every penny, works even if you have a shit ton of hair 6:00
• Luxury lounge wear also worth every penny, particularly for my big booty big leg brethren who hate being gently squeezed by clothing 8:20
• From Lilysilk, the most wonderful luxurious silk/cashmere blend sweater 10:00
• Family-owned Goulet Pen Company, especially the TWSBI Iris vacuum fountain pen 
• Oxblood ink, also from Goulet Pen Co. 13:00
• MoonBabe custom leather work, CA based artisan who made my current notebookk (an amazing gift from Kat Boston) 13:21
• Other gift ideas including kits like candle making, cross stitch, and origami 14:00 
• Black family owned Charleston based Motherland Essentials 16:00
• My favorite matcha from family-owned Breakaway Matcha 17:00
• For my bougie bitches- the Cadillac of milk frothers 17:53
• Info is available for Creatrix now! 19:00

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
Sign up here for monthly blasts and functional woo
Find me on Instagram
Support this podcast on Patreon