Big Juicy Creative

I'm usually the one doing the interviewing, but in this episode I get interviewed on my own podcast - and I realise how easy it is to blurt out stuff you've never admitted before on air, when you're enjoying the banter....

I'm interviewed by the lovely Lizzie Benton who I met on LinkedIn (don't judge us, it's more fun than it sounds), who then came on my podcast and who then knitted me a fabulous rainbow crown to remind me of my worth.

We cover some hardcore topics, as well as lots of amusing ones… like the hardest things we've ever had to say…. Disappointing people, especially family members…. Why hairdressers are cringe... Depression…. Female bullies… Why it can be hard for women to voice uncomfortable truths…. Why companies talk crap about embracing creativity…. Having the balls to live the life you want to, rather than the one you're told you should…

Basically, it's a brilliant convo between two women who have been through some emotional adversity and so, now, are determined to live big juicy and creative.

For more on Lizzie Benton see:

Her podcast: Make It Thrive; the company culture podcast

Her website: www.libertymind.co.uk

Instagram: @lizzie_benton_

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn:@suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

Fashion designer and gender fluidity campaigner RobRoy SW admits that he is stubborn. He is chaos. He is weird. And he's learnt that, rather than fight all these different parts of himself, he's much better off embracing them and finding a way to express them all.

Life got better when he fully embraced his feminine side, which he now expresses through his drag queen alter ego Sigh Wren.

I loved his perspective on expressing our feminine and masculine sides to be 'genderfabulous' (this is a good episode if you want more clarity around terminology here, as I did, especially if your kids are talking about gender to you - as mine are).

It's taken him 53 years, and it's been a long and, at times, very painful journey but I feel very privileged that he shared it with me with such honesty.

For more about RobRoy SW:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

Big Juicy Creative podcast is available on all major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or directly from my website: https://www.bigjuicycreative.co.uk/podcast

The biggest thing that stops us from creating for creativity's sake - like no one's watching, as I always advocate in this podcast's jingle - is often money. We measure 'value' and 'payback' so much in exclusively financial terms in our culture.

And I get it - I forget that creativity has a value way beyond financial sometimes. Doing this podcast reminded me of the huge payback this podcast has given me over the last year - some of these benefits are ones that money can't buy. And some of them really surprised me.

For my top learnings after a year of Big Juicy Creative podcasting, listen in! And please share with anyone who might benefit from this reminder, too.

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

Big Juicy Creative podcast is available on all major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or directly from my website: https://www.bigjuicycreative.co.uk/podcast

Exhaustion and stress in personal relationships are two things that probably have the biggest detrimental effect on my creative mojo - and both of these things have been a feature in my life recently.

As no stranger to depressive illness, I know how important it is to manage emotions (rather than repress them) and creativity is the best way I've found to process difficult feelings.

I share a few ways creativity helps me move my feelings on, so they don't spiral. I hope you find it helpful and if you think it could help someone else, please share!

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

Big Juicy Creative podcast is available on all major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or directly from my website: https://www.bigjuicycreative.co.uk/podcast

Artist Claire Macdonald (last week's episode - 82)'s work has really inspired me. She talks about how art is a gateway, for all of us, for understanding, empathy, connection, joy, play, meaning- so many benefits!

I want to experience these benefits so, inspired by Claire, I decide in this episode to create an art installation (even though I don't really have a scoobie how to do this) in the woods.

She advises me on how to go about doing this, believing that art installations, and art in general, are definitely not just for people that call themselves artists.

She also advises: drop the perfectionism and just do it, don't obsess about the outcome because the experience of creating IS the art, and where you reap all these benefits.

I thought after a year talking so much about creativity and pushing yourself out your creative comfort zone, I should put my money where my mouth is. This is the start of it. An art installation will be created soon to mark a year of the Big Juicy Creative podcast!

Over to you - what are you going to create, so you too can reap all these big juicy benefits of being creative?

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

Claire has spent hours and hours researching the effect of art, and particularly creating art in collaboration with others, on wellbeing. But you just have to listen to this one hour to reap all the benefits of her wisdom!

Clue: creativity is really good for our health. Especially if we do it in our communities.

In this episode she pulls out her key takeaways so we can all benefit, and create spaces around us where we thrive. She explains how, and why, art can be a gateway to understanding, empathy, connection, joy, play and meaning.

For more on Claire Macdonald artist:

Her website: https://clairemacdonaldartist.com

Facebook

Instagram

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

We all judge people. It's human. And it's increasingly encouraged in our digital world. But being judgmental is not good for us, for others or for our creativity. We can learn how to be more open & less judgy. Here's what I'm doing to address my judgy-ness - especially when it comes to a certain group of women that I judge particularly harshly (and makes me a bit of a hypocrite).

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

Within a few minutes interviewing dancer James Montgomery we are talking about sexual fluidity, bullying and vulnerability - and how creativity can help you build your confidence and be who you really are. That gives the measure of this no holds barre-d episode!

James is someone with the confidence to be who he really is, which he credits to dance. From a little boy who had a penchant for shaking his booty and wearing heels, to a teenager who identified as bisexual (before it was trendy) to a grown man running a B&B with his partner in the Scottish Highlands, he's someone who joys in following his instinct and living big and juicy.

He shares how, and why, he does this, in the hope it will inspire you, too, to do this. He's already inspired me, as he's the reason I'm constantly embarrassing my 2 sons with my hip hop moves around the house and sometimes (ouch!) even in public. #sorrynotsorry

A joyous, juicy episode.

For more on James:

His website: http://www.jamesmontgomery.org/

Find him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/jamesmontgomerydi/

For Cairngorm School of Dance:

https://www.instagram.com/cairngormschoolofdance

https://www.facebook.com/cairngormschoolofdance

For more on his Highland B&B: https://www.instagram.com/firhall/

Or his B&B on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firhall/

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

Procrastination is not only the thief of your time, it also robs your creative dreams and is associated with low self worth.

I am a massive procrastinator. That's why for this episode - another 'on location' broadcast - I quiz my mate Claire Merrick on how she overcame procrastination and achieved her lifelong dream to write a play.

Loads of great advice here if you are struggling to just do it, whatever 'it' is.

This is also a poignant episode because it traces Claire's journey and shows what can happen if you put your mind to it. Claire appeared in Episode 26 when she talked about her burning desire to write a play, but hadn't overcome her procrastination issues yet.

For more on the lovely Claire Merrick, see here

She's also on Big Juicy Creative episode 26 here.

And look out for her play - Table - coming to the stage soon!

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

contact Suzy: [email protected]

This is different from any other I've done because 1) it's Prosecco-fuelled and I've never hosted a podcast while tipsy 2) it's with one of my best mates, Eva Long, so there are no holds barred.

In editing I was tempted to cut out the bits where I sound a bit ranty and, well, a bit of a dick. But I've kept it all in because my intentions are good: I'm trying to be as honest as I can about the complexity of (female) friendships and what sometimes gets in the way of supporting each other put ourselves out there.

Eva is rocking putting herself out there lately (with the inspiration of this podcast, I'm happy to add!). She wrote a song to save the hedgehogs, which she set to music and ended up performing it on the main stage of a music festival. She's also just about to launch an innovative property business with TV presenter Charles Hanson (Antiques Road Show, Bargain Hunt).

Eva is a naturally creative person in how she lives her life, which I learn from this conversation is something she has inherited from her parents, despite their best efforts to push her into more 'sensible' pursuits. But, as she says, creativity is innate and she's much happier when expressing hers, whether that's in Tango dancing or gardening or cooking or renovating houses.

In this podcast she talks about the power of creativity to help her both find, and lose, herself in a busy family life.

NB: Eva wants to clarify that her Greek family helped the Cretan resistance

For more about Eva and saving hedgehogs:

Instagram: @eva.r.long

Eva will soon be launching a historic buildings property business with TV presenter Charles Hanson (www.charleshanson.com) called Hanson Rose.

Why not help spread the word and raise awareness of the worrying plight of hedgehogs? Download the attached PDF so you, too, can learn Eva's Hedgehog song and perform it yourself!

She is currently adapting the story of Lemmy the Hedgehog into a play for primary schools to use free in return for a donation to hedgehogstreet.org.

To donate to save the hedgehogs:

https://donate.ptes.org/hedgehog/HHINdexCC.aspx

To follow Big Juicy Creative for loads of inspiration on living creatively, see:

Instagram: @bigjuicycreativeliving

Facebook @bigjuicycreativeliving

LinkedIn: @suzybashford

Twitter: @suzybashford

Contact Suzy: [email protected]

Big Juicy Creative podcast is available on all major platforms, or directly from my website: https://www.bigjuicycreative.co.uk/podcast