In this episode, we will hear an honest update from life in Wellington, NZ before exploring Taika Waititi’s journey from a messy, underfunded beginning to global success through long-term collaboration. 

Welcome to Beyond the Template. 

Reflection of the Week:

Where in your life or work are you throwing logic over passion… where have you been trying to become “legitimate” versus embracing your truth…and do you have someone in your life to help you remember that there isn’t a problem with your truth in the first place? 

You can add anything you would like to share in the comments section or email me directly.  I welcome your thoughts.  And I would love to address them (with anonymity) in future episodes. 

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

Preparing for a “Take 2” of the renowned Wētā Workshop from the Auckland to Wellington tour, we will hear the story of Richard Taylor, co-founder and Co-CEO of a company that has built some of the most powerful worlds in cinematic history. 

Welcome to Beyond the Template. 

I want to hear about YOU. 

1.       Send me Expander of the Week suggestions! 

2.       What was your main takeaway from this week’s episode? 

3.       What projects are you working on right now? 

4.       What are you struggling with as a creative these days? 

You can add anything you would like to share in the comments section or email me directly at [email protected].  

I welcome your thoughts.  And I would love to address them (with anonymity) in future episodes.  Let’s grow this community of creatives and innovators together! 

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

Happy New Year from a new place in the world… Auckland, New Zealand.  This week is the first of transitioning away from the research, preparation, and deep thinking of the past several months into actual creation.  We will hear the story of Peter Jackson, beloved son of New Zealand, and legendary creative, who chose to build legacy right where he was already rooted.

Welcome to Beyond the Template.

Referenced Films:

Bad Taste (1987 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IHwKJOZZ6U) . 

Meet the Feebles (1989 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=094jCv3iFfI) . 

I want to hear about YOU. 

1.       Send me Expander of the Week suggestions!

2.       What was your main takeaway from this week’s episode?

3.       What projects are you working on right now? 

4.       What are you struggling with as a creative these days? 

You can add anything you would like to share in the comments section or email me directly at [email protected].  This will be in description for you.  No one monitors this email but me.  So, I welcome your thoughts.  And I would love to address them (with anonymity) in future episodes.  Let’s grow this community of creatives and innovators together! 

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

This week we will reflect on a BIG issue for creatives: how to balance work and media.  We have all felt the emotional strain social media places upon us.  I will share three ways I have learned for better self-care as a creative online. 

Welcome to Beyond the Template... the more than "just talk" podcast!

SPECIAL TO THIS EPISODE:

If you are following along and implementing changes, make sure to add the #balancedmakersandshakers !

Let’s engage in conversation! Tell me all about YOU and send me YOUR questions.  

What do YOU think about these three ways to support artistic and genius self-care? 

What would it feel like to identify the parts of yourself that you can lean into for your followers, your clients, your audience while keeping the rest of yourself TO yourself?  Does that sound helpful?  Maybe less draining?  Let me know! 

And, as always, what projects are you working on?  How is it going? 

You can add anything you would like to share in the comments section or email me directly at [email protected].  This will be in description for you.  No one monitors this email but me.  So, I welcome your thoughts.  And I would love to address them (with anonymity) in future episodes.  Let’s grow this community of creatives and innovators together! 

Finally, one last reflection: Who is helping you reach your goals and dreams? 

I created my business to serve as the partner and collaborator for creatives and innovators to bring their visions to life through grounded actionable steps.  If you would like to learn more about how I support my clients, please check out cameliedesigns.com.  That’s cameliedesigns.com. 

Happy Holidays all!  I will see you in the New Year! From Auckland...

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

Today we are talking about designing our creative work to align with everything we have researched so far and prepare us for the work to be done in 2026. I will also tell you the story of Isamu Noguchi.

Reflection Questions:

•What are the best ways to approach expressing your concept, idea, emotion, story?
•How can you be sure that what you create offers meaning to your audience and makes an impact?
•What interpersonal skills will your audience need to have in order to gain the most from their experience of your creation?
•What is the best way to present the content to every individual achieves the same basic understanding of your work?

More on Expander of the Week- Isamy Noguchi:

• Noguchi Museum Website – https://www.noguchi.org/
 • Isamu Noguchi: A Sculptor’s World – https://www.amazon.com/Isamu-Noguchi-Sculptors-World/dp/3869309156
 • The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Catalogue – https://archive.noguchi.org/CR/Index
 • PBS American Masters: “Isamu Noguchi” – https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/masters/isamu-noguchi/ 

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

 It’s our 12th episode as we head into the last month of the year.  December is an excellent time to check in on progress started in the earlier months, so this episode will serve as a reminder of what this podcast is all about, who it’s for and reflect on how each of us are doing.  We will then recap everything we have covered so far this season to feel fully energized to move onto the next phase in our creative journeys together. 

Welcome to Beyond the Template... the more than "just talk" podcast.

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

Let’s dive into the deep of “sequencing” as both a creative tool and an audience experience strategy, framed through life’s chaotic realities. We will explore how intentional ordering transforms your process and your final product and the story of Katherine Mansfield. 

Welcome Beyond the Template- the more than “just-talk” podcast. 

More on Katherine Mansfield, Expander of the Week: 

The Collected Stories of Katherine Mansfield – the essential collection of her major works. 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/796878/the-collected-stories-of-katherine-mansfield-by-katherine-mansfield/ 

The Katherine Mansfield Society – a robust hub of scholarship, biography, and archival materials. 

https://katherinemansfieldsociety.org/ 

Katherine Mansfield: The Story-Teller by Kathleen Jones – an excellent biography. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9736720-katherine-mansfield 

The National Library of New Zealand’s digital collection of Mansfield’s letters, manuscripts, and photos. 

https://natlib.govt.nz/collections/a-z/manuscripts-collection 

New Zealand On Screen- NZOS documentary 

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/a-portrait-of-katherine-mansfield-1986 

BBC documentary segment “Katherine Mansfield: A Portrait” (available through BBC archives or educational distributors). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21p3QAiVxU4 

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

This week, as with the 5th episode, this episode is a special one!  It will be more storytelling focused, connecting the concept of creating a space for your creative “voice” to make a positive change in the world…with the story of Hiroshi Yamauchi. 

Welcome Beyond the Template- the more than “just-talk” podcast. 

About your host: www.cameliedesigns.com 

On our Expander of the Week:

Books-

• Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World by David Sheff — still the definitive biography of Yamauchi’s leadership, philosophy, and sometimes ruthless innovation.
• Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan — focuses on the creative and cultural ripple effect of Yamauchi’s business choices.
• The History of Nintendo: 1889–1980 — From Playing Cards to Game & Watch by Florent Gorges — an extraordinary visual deep dive into Nintendo’s transformation under Yamauchi.

TV/Movies-

• High Score (Netflix, 2020). Episode 1 briefly covers Nintendo’s rise and the culture Yamauchi helped build. - https://www.netflix.com/title/81019087
• Playing with Power: The Nintendo Story (2021, Crackle). Narrated by Sean Astin, includes interviews with Nintendo’s early team and historians.- https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/playing-with-power-the-nintendo-story/season-1 

Articles-

• The Guardian: “Hiroshi Yamauchi: The man who turned Nintendo into a global phenomenon.”
• Kotaku: “Hiroshi Yamauchi: The Reluctant Visionary Who Built Nintendo.”
• IGN Retrospective: “From Hanafuda to Mario: How Yamauchi Redefined Play.”
• Nintendo Archive: digitized photographs and corporate documents from Yamauchi’s tenure (available through nintendo.co.jp corporate history pages).

Want to hear more about amazing people and good news?

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/goodnewsletter

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

This week, we will consider the power of voice and how calling out into the world might change everything. And we’re taking inspiration from the incomparable Eartha Kitt, a woman who never stopped speaking truth, no matter the cost. 

Welcome Beyond the Template- the more than “just-talk” podcast. 

The Spooky Song (maniacal laugh at the end!)

GOOD NEWS of the WEEK! 

Lockdown drills are a fact of life in U.S. schools. What does that mean for students? 

‘Art is good for you’: how going to a gallery can boost your health 

The most challenging thing you’ve ever done – and what you learned from it 

Learning to See: How Professors Teach in Schools of Art and Design 

Students of color benefit from meditation in schools, so Atlanta is investing in mindfulness 

More on this week’s “expander”: Eartha Kit

Eartha Kitt Sings “I Want to Be Evil” (1953) 

Documentary: Carolina Snaps: Eartha Kitt 

Interview: An Evening with Eartha Kitt

Thursday’s Child: An Autobiography by Eartha Kitt

Smithsonian Portrait of Eartha Kitt

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...

News, moon and goals! I’ll share personal wins and pivots in creative work and objectives, and tell the story of George Washington Carver. 

Welcome Beyond the Template- the more than “just-talk” podcast. 

George Washington Carver

The Man Who Talks with the Flowers

The Scientist Who Saved the South 

“An Uncommon Life” 

NEWS 

Teens start an after-school club to read banned books

'Screen-free smartphone' lets kids communicate safely

Denver students learn drought-resistant landscaping

Alex Wharton

MacKenzie Scott

'America's Top Young Scientist'

 If you feel like you have done everything possible to get going and keep going with your work… including even taking courses or using coaches… but somehow you continue stalling, that’s what I am here for.  To fill a gap that SO many seem to need.  It’s one thing to know what you want to do, it is quite another thing to actually do it with consistency and perseverance, especially when everything (including your own brain) seems to be getting in the way.  I am here to serve as the creative strategy partner who gets you through to the next phase of you work.  I offer individualized solutions and approaches for my clients that are pumped about their ideas and won’t settle for less than achieving their goals. 

My business, Âme Collaborative offers emotionally intelligent partnership to diverse thinkers, creatives, innovators, and artists feeling the pressure of completion and delivery. My job is to remain by their side and work with them, not against them, to accomplish something that feels too overwhelming alone… while upholding the soul of their work.  If this sounds like you, and you have an idea you are excited about but need help with making a reality, reach out!  

You can email me directly at [email protected] to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com wher...