Cause of Craft: Why We Create

While most novels are written by a single author, that doesn’t mean the process is absent from other creative voices. Editors are one of the most important collaborators for authors. On this episode I talk with Elizabeth Schaefer, an editor at Penguin Random House.

There she works on books for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Star Wars and Minecraft. We discuss what it’s like working with established franchises, the importance of building trust with an author, and why time is your most precious currency.

Topics Covered:

• Editing for Licensed Publishing
• Natural Inclinations for Best Practices
• Tricks of the Writing and Editing Trades
• Building Trust with a Writer
• How to Get the Most Out of Working with Editors
• The Benefit to Having Multiple Projects at Once
• Working with Famous Franchises
• The Process of Publishers Finding a Manuscript
• Growing in Your Career
• Creative Collaboration
• Advice for New Creatives
• From A Certain Point of View

Links:

Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: Amazon

Sometimes our best ideas can stem from combining two of our favorite passions. Haleigh DeRocher took her love for reading and her love of art and combined them to create something new and unique. She sells beautiful artwork on her website in a variety of different forms, including prints, t-shirts, and even blankets. She has also illustrated a number of classic novels, bringing her own unique style and voice to some of the world’s most famous books like The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice.

She shares her journey to starting her own business, how to represent a novel through illustration, what makes a classic enduring, and more.

Topics Covered:

• Reading from a Young Age
• Starting a Business after College
• Creating Illustrated Versions of Classic Novels
• What Makes Certain Works Enduring?
• How to Represent a Novel
• Making Fabric Books for Babies
• Why Haleigh Creates
• Coming Up with New Products

Links:

Haleigh’s Shop, Sweet Sequels: www.sweetsequels.com

Haleigh’s Instagram: @sweetsequels

Haleigh’s Etsy Shop: Etsy

On this week’s episode I talk with Jenna Terese, author of Ignite, a novel about a girl with superpowers in a world where superhumans aren’t considered the heroes.

Topics Covered:

• Writing About Superheroes
• Growing in Your Craft
• Working with an Editor
• Growing as an Artist
• Building Characters
• Music and Writing
• Project Inspire and Artistic Variety
• Talking About Far Off Projects

Links:

Jenna’s Website: www.jennaterese.com

Jenna’s Instagram: @jenna.terese

Project Inspire: Blog

Project Inspire Instagram: @project_.inspire

Ignite: Amazon

Ares Short Story: Amazon

On this week’s episode, sculptor Bonnie Brushwood shares her artistic process with us, from having a conversation with her work to taking advantage of happy accidents. We also discuss the importance of finding beauty in the world, how much an artist should say about their work, and how sculpture can be a therapeutic experience.

Topics Covered:

• Form and Texture
• Listening to the Piece
• Why Sculpture is Time-Sensitive
• Studying Art in High School
• Expressing the Beauty in the World
• How Much Should an Artist Say About a Work?
• Sculpture-Making Process
• Sculpture as a Grounding Experience
• Upcoming Show at Doughtery Art Center

Links:

Bonnie’s Website: www.bonniebrushwood.com

Bonnie’s Instagram: @bonniebrushwood

Stop-Motion Music Video: YouTube

Upcoming Exhibit at Dougherty Art Center:

March 17 from 7pm-9pm

1110 Barton Springs Rd.

Austin, TX 78704

Dougherty’s Website: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/dougherty-arts-center

Can working on films still be your dream job after the director throws a chair at you? Does that one guy everyone talks bad about deserve a second chance? Production Designer Courtney Johnson joins the show to share her experiences in the film industry. We also talk about why so many people aspire to work in movies and how what you value in life can change as you grow.

Topics Covered:

• What Production Design Is
• An Invisible Art
• Making Things Stand Out
• Bringing the Director’s Vision to Screen
• What Makes for Good Collaborative Environments
• Why Courtney Pursued Film
• What Keeps Her Going Even When It’s Tough
• Eco-Friendly Design

Links:

Courtney’s Website: www.courtneyvjohnson.com

Courtney’s Instagram: @alotofalittle

Lucid Object Instagram: @lucid.object

Courtney’s Etsy: Lucid Object

Follow Jon on Instagram @jontilton and follow the show @causeofcraft.

Figuring Skating isn’t just a sport, but also a skill that carries with it a unique blend of athletics, beauty, and creativity. My guest Tiffanie Lovett discusses starting to skate at a young age, what keeps her going after years of competition and practice, and how watching her favorite actors inspires her technique.

Full podcast transcript

Topics Covered:

• Figure Skating From A Young Age
• Finding Music to Skate To
• Pushing Yourself Through New Routines
• How To Score Athletic Artistry
• What Keeps Tiffanie Going
• What Elements Make Up a Good Skater
• Staying Focused in the Moment
• Progression of Learning
• Inspiration from Acting
• Figure Skating as an Outlet
• Advice for Athletes and Creatives
• Star Trek and Figure Skating

Links:

Tiffanie's Instagram: @tiffanieloveit

Follow Jon on Instagram @jontilton and follow the show @causeofcraft.

Food production has changed drastically over the years, and not always for the better. But is there any hope for returning to the old ways of doing things?

This week’s guest, Miller Mark Fischer runs Castle Valley Mill — a stone ground mill where he uses machines that are hundreds of years old to produce quality flour, cornmeal, and more. By using age-old techniques on local grain, Castle Valley is able to produce a product that’s not only better for you, but tastes better too.

Mark shares how it all works in our conversation, and I’m excited to share this episode with you. I think it’s both incredibly interesting and incredibly important. These things not only impact our health, but also our local economies and the environment. So if you enjoy this episode, please consider sharing with a friend, because the more people who understand the value of how our food is made and where it comes from, the healthier we’ll all be in the future.

Pictured below is Mark with his wife, Fran, who has played a huge role in making Castle Valley Mill what it is today.

Full transcript

Topics Covered:

The Story Behind Castle Valley Mill

Why Modern Flour isn’t Great

Germ, Bran, and Starch: The Proper Components of Flour

The Process of Milling

Using 150 Year Old Milling Equipment

Discovering the Demand for Stone Ground Wheat

1800’s Stone Milling as an Achievement of American Ingenuity

Scalability and Legacy

The American Diet

Covid Flour Shortage

How to Buy Castle Valley Mill’s Product

Links:

Castle Valley Mill Website and Store: www.castlevalleymill.com

Instagram: @cvmllc

Facebook: @CastleValleyMill

No Kneed Overnight Bread Recipe: No Kneed Bread

It’s everyone’s dream to have a job that doesn’t feel like work. But sometimes there are hidden pitfalls that come with that.

Our guest Rob Krekel shares with us his love for sound design and talks about how overextending ourselves can take a toll over time. We also discuss his creative process, how Ben Burtt inspired him as a kid, and advice for new creatives.

Full transcript

Topics Covered:

Drawn to Sound

Coming from a Creative Family

Tinkering with Creativity

The Sound Design Process

What Makes Sound Design Fun

Creative Burnout and Taking a Step Back

Advice for New Creatives

Links:

Rob’s Twitter: @robkrekel

Follow Jon on Instagram @jontilton and follow the show @causeofcraft.

www.causeofcraft.com

www.jontilton.com

New Years — a time where we put together our next set of goals, and… all too often promptly forget to make them happen. It can be tough creating new routines to accomplish what we want, but thankfully there are a variety of resources to help us get to where we want to go.

On this episode I talk to Author Lia Murati about one of these methods. She’s a firm believer in writing down your goals and focusing on what you want — so much so that she’s created her own book called The Manifestation Journal. We discuss this, as well as how creativity helps you understand yourself and how life can often imitate fiction.

Full Podcast Transcript

Topics Covered:

What is a Manifestation Journal?

The Power of Writing Things Down

Moving to A Different Country

Differing Views on Manifestation

Focusing On What You Actually Care About

Disciplined Focus

Being Aware of How to Get Where You Want to Go

Creativity Helps You Understand Self

Fiction Coming True in Reality

Links:

Lia's Instagram: @liamurati

Buy Lia's Book: Amazon

Follow Jon on Instagram @jontilton and follow the show @causeofcraft.

www.causeofcraft.com

www.jontilton.com

Are patterns in story connected with patterns in music? Is something Plato said relevant to cautioning us about the metaverse?

On this episode I chat with Pianist Jeff Dershin about how proper listening can create opportunity to connect with your audience and add extra meaning to your art. We also discuss audience participation, The Hero’s Journey, and why it’s important to choose a path in life that has heart.

Full Transcript

Topics Covered:

Performing for Older Audiences

Why Digital Instruments Haven’t Replaced Acoustical

Studying Music

The Hero’s Journey

Choosing a Path With Heart

Audience Participation and Connection

How Others Inspire Our Thinking and Art

Cycles of Life

Plato and Thích Nhất Hạnh

Instilling a Sense of Wonder

Links:

Music with Jeff Dershin

A Century of Jewish Music with Jeff Dershin

Follow Jon on Instagram @jontilton and follow the show @causeofcraft.

www.causeofcraft.com

www.jontilton.com