Chasing Creative

We were in the same room for the third time ever for our first (and hopefully not the last!) creative retreat. And we decided to record an episode all about how we made it happen, what our plan was, and what we accomplished while in a valley near LaCrosse, WI with no WiFi for 48 hours.

Resources We Mentioned

We first heard about creative retreats from Jennie Moraitis back in episode 12 of the first season of Chasing Creative.

Ashley was making a sweater as part of the 100 Day Project which ends in early July.

Books We Swapped

What Ashley gave Abbie:

An American Childhood by Annie Dillard

Beneath Wandering Stars by Ashlee Cowles

Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes

Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy by Jamie C. Martin

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

What Abbie gave Ashley:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living edited by Manjula Martin

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Glitter & Glue by Kelly Corrigan

In the last episode of season 5, we're exploring all the ways recording this podcast has changed our own creative lives. We're talking about the power of audio conditioning in motivating you to do the work in front of you, catching up on our novel writing processes, sharing our progress in The 100 Day Challenge, and giving a preview of what's next for us in the months to come.

Growing Gills by Jessica Abel

The Moment with Brian Koppelman: Interview with Seth Godin 1/1/19

Chasing Creative Season 5, Episode 8: Doing the Creative Work

Scrivener writing software

Chasing Creative Season 5, Episode 5: Intentional Creativity with Ron Vitale

The 100 Day Project

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace Wells

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

I Feel Bad about My Neck by Nora Ephron

Keep Going by Austin Kleon

Website: Inkwells and Images

Twitter: @abbigailekriebs

Instagram: @abbigailekriebs

Pinterest: @abbigailekriebs

Facebook: @inkwellsandimages

Personal blog: Ashley Brooks Writes

Writing website: Brooks Editorial

Twitter: @brookseditorial

Instagram: @ashleybrookswrites

Pinterest: @brookseditorial

We first chatted about Growing Gills with Addie Zierman in this episode on self-care, resourcing, and diving back into writing after some time away.

Then, we got the chance to interview Jessica Abel herself on her method for creating systems that help you be creative in this episode.

And then we realized that we had a lot to say about what Growing Gills taught each of us and how we’re incorporating those lessons into spending time on our own much-neglected creative projects.

That’s what this episode is all about.

Get your hands on a copy of Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You’re Drowning in Your Daily Life and the free workbook on Jessica’s site here and start creating!

Or check out Jessica’s Creative Focus Workshop, which is an even more intense, instructor-led process to set up strategies to help make your creative work happen.

Other things we talked about:

Ashley uses the Insight Timer - Meditation App. Abbie is probably going to download that ASAP and try the session Ashley recommends, “Five Minute Break for Reflection by Tony Brady”.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden (Winternight Trilogy #2)

How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen by Joanna Faber and Julie King

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman (updated edition!)

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Here’s where you can find Ashley:

Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com

Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where you can find Abbie:

Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages

Jessica Abel is cartoonist and author who is demystifying the creative process. Join us as we talk about her philosophy that the creative life is just . . . life. You’ll gain practical strategies for integrating creativity into your everyday life with systems and routines that work for you.

Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You’re Drowning in Your Daily Life by Jessica Abel

The Creative Focus Workshop

Article on the scarcity mindset: If Creativity Is So Freeing, Why Do I Feel Like I'm Trapped?

Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How It Defines Our Lives by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir

Website: https://jessicaabel.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jccabel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visiblewoman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jccabel

Books: https://jessicaabel.com/books/

Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages

Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com

Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/ashleybrookswrites

Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

John Blase is a former pastor turned writer and editor. He spends his mornings writing poetry, his days as a developmental editor for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in Colorado Springs, and his evenings with his wife and three kiddos (when they’re home from college!). He preached for over a decade and has brought a pastoring stance to his writer’s pen. His books include The Jubilee: Poems; Know When To Hold ‘Em: The High Stakes Game of Fatherhood; Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas; and All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir (with Brennan Manning). We chat with John about when he gets his creative work done and how he switches from writing someone else’s story back to writing his own -- and it wouldn’t be a discussion of faith and writing today without a brief dip into the Enneagram.

You can connect with John here:

Website: https://johnblase.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnblase

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdblase/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.blase

Books: https://johnblase.com/books/

Books We Talked About:

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Upstream by Mary Oliver

The Jubilee by John Blase

Here’s where you can find Ashley:

Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com

Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where you can find Abbie:

Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages

Science fiction and fantasy author Ron Vitale keeps up an impressive writing pace while working full time and being an active father. What’s his secret? Intentional creativity. Join us in this episode to hear how Ron makes space for creative work, manages marketing and networking alongside writing, and maintains a self-care routine.

How to Become a Successful Author While Working Full Time by Ron Vitale

Psst! Stop choosing goals you don’t have control over! by Sarah von Bargen

There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

Ron’s 2018 Self-Publishing Year-End Review with Full Sales Numbers

Author Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Scrivener

Trello

Asana

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

You’ve Torn Your Achilles and Now What? by Ron Vitale

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Chasing Creative season 4 episode 11: Tracking and Setting Creative Goals

Website: www.ronvitale.com

Twitter: @RonVitale

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ron.Vitale.Author/

Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages

Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com

Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Reading is a big part of our creative lives, and we know the same is true of many of our listeners. We're giving you the rundown of our year in reading, including our top picks in a variety of genres, our favorite read-alouds for our kids, and the one book we BOTH couldn't finish! If mini book club is your favorite part of the podcast, this episode is for you!

Love the podcast and happy to see new episodes in your feed? Consider supporting us on Patreon. If everyone who listens gave $1 per month, we could cover our expenses and maybe even hire an editor. That would allow us to create more—for ourselves and you!

Goodreads is social media for book lovers. Love it or hate it, this platform is a big factor in how we track our books, set reading goals, and decide what to read next. Follow us on Goodreads to keep up with our reading habits in real time!

Abbie's Goodreads

Ashley's Goodreads

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Circe by Madeline Miller

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam

How to Be a Happier Parent by KJ Dell’Antonia

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Introverts in the Church by Adam S. McHugh

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

The Road Back to You by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile

Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat

Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly

Great with Child by Beth Ann Fennelly

Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

The Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler

Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Girls by Emma Cline

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh by Carl Zimmer

The Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

The Temperament God Gave Your Child by Lorraine and Art Bennett

Heartland by Sarah Smarsh

The Minimalist Kitchen by Melissa Coleman

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith (the Nester)

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel

Stories by C.S. Lewis

Shadowland by Elizabeth Kostova

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

My Life in France by Julia Child

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

Erin Smith on Instagram

Kendra at the Lazy Genius Collective

From the Front Porch podcast

Anne Bogel at Modern Mrs. Darcy and the What Should I Read Next? podcast

Morgan Swank on Instagram

Personality and Creativity: Chasing Creative Season 4, Episode 20

Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages

Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com

Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/brookseditorial

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/brookseditorial

The creative world is full of people and places encouraging you to practice self-care. But what if the self-care that the world is promoting feels a little hollow? Addie Zierman shares with us a new way at looking at self-care on the podcast today. It’s called “resourcing” - and we think you’re going to gain a lot from this concept.

Addie Zierman is the author of When We Were on Fire (named one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2013) and of Night Driving: A Story of Faith in the Dark. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two sons and blogs regularly at addiezierman.com.

You can connect with Addie here:

Website: https://addiezierman.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/addiezierman

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/addiezierman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/addieziermanwriter/

Our inspiration for this episode comes from a post Addie wrote on her blog, “A Better Way To Think About Self-Care”.

Addie shared Jessica Abel’s Growing Gills workbook as something she used to get back on track creativity after a period of taking a step back.

Love the podcast and happy to see new episodes in your feed? Consider supporting us on Patreon. If everyone who listens gave $1 per month, we could cover our expenses and maybe even hire an editor. That would allow us to create more -- for ourselves and you!

Books we talked about in this episode:

How to Be Here by Rob Bell

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Here’s where you can find Ashley:

Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com

Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where you can find Abbie:

Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages

Andrea Debbink is an editor and author with more than a decade of experience in the publishing world. Currently she’s an editor at American Girl where she creates nonfiction content that empowers girls to explore their creative potential. Her new book Spark: A Guide to Ignite the Creativity Inside You just won a 2018 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. We chatted with Andrea about what it looks like to take a creative risk, her favorite books on creativity, and what creative risks Ashley and I are taking in 2019.

You can connect with Andrea on Instagram, Goodreads, or at andreadebbink.com.

Grab a copy of Andrea's book, SPARK: A Guide to Ignite the Creativity Inside YOU, illustrated by Emily Balsley.

People & Things We Mentioned:

The Lovely Drawer has 25k followers on Instagram and still struggles with getting her posts seen.

Leif Enger writes slowly. Ashley highly recommends this novel, and his halfway through his current. And Leif is on Instagram!

That book we couldn’t remember the name of that Ashley read about the cycles of creativity? It was Ryan Holliday’s Perennial Seller that she talked about in this episode.

Ashley recommends the #amwriting podcast.

Anthony Trollope worked as a mail carrier and wrote before he went to work each day. If he finished a novel before heading to work, he started a new one. Woah.

Books We Talked About:

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Daily Rituals by Mason Curry

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living by Manjula Martin

How to Be a Happier Parent by KJ Dell’Antonia

How does the place you live and work impact your creativity? Do beautiful landscapes or bustling cities help boost creative inspiration? Join us as we explore these questions and more with illustrator Jane Heinrichs.

Jane works as an illustrator with publishers around the world. Her first children's book, "Magic at the Museum," was short-listed for best-illustrated book at the Manitoba Book Awards. She splits her time between three different continents: London, England; Cape Town, South Africa; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

"How Geography Shapes Our Identities"

The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley

The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo

Circe by Madeline Miller

Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Website: https://www.janeheinrichs.net

Instagram for daily drawings and stories from my studio: @janeheinrichs

Shop (children’s nursery prints and books) : https://www.janeheinrichs.net/shop/

Pinterest (for creativity inspiration): @janeheinrichs

Facebook Page: @janeheinrichsstudios

Blog: Inkwells and Images

Twitter: @abbigailekriebs

Instagram: @abbigailekriebs

Blog: Ashley Brooks Writes

Twitter: @brookseditorial

Instagram: @brookseditorial