Chasing Creative

We're chatting with creative couple and hosts of the Our First Drink podcast Josh and Stasia Haroldson about what it looks like to be in a creative partnership with your spouse. Join us as we talk about the relationship dynamic that comes from working on a shared project, tips for any creative collaboration, and being yourself on social media.

Search your favorite podcast app for “Our First Drink” and visit www.ourfirstdrink.com. You can also check out Josh and Stasia on Instagram.

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

“We’re both balancing the podcast with more traditional 9-5 jobs, so it’s been an interesting balance trying to make time for the creative pursuits we have while keeping our careers at the center for us.” --- Stasia

“Is this something you would do even if nobody paid attention to it?” --- Josh

“If it’s a hobby or a creative pursuit, it just needs to be something you would do because you’re compelled to do it, even if no one cared.” --- Josh

“It’s just awesome to have things to look back on that you made that are your own.” --- Josh

“We give the best of ourselves at work. The person we want to spend the most time with and we care the most about doesn’t get to see the best version of ourselves.” --- Josh, quoting Stasia

“That’s the cool thing about podcasting. You get to have these deep conversations.” --- Josh

“Before these couples even get into [their creative project], they recognize their complementary skillsets.” --- Stasia

“If I have to pay taxes to the federal government with anyone, I’m glad it’s with you.” --- Abbie

“The last thing social media should ever be is a point of contention.” --- Josh

On growing an engaged social media following: “Don’t be a jerk.” --- Josh

“By being yourself, you’re more inclined to connect with the people you want to connect with.” --- Stasia

“I just really try to share authentically the stories that I care about.” --- Josh

“I use Instagram as a very curated version of how I see things.” --- Josh

“You Instagram is your space to do what you want with it.” --- Stasia

“Ultimately you have to understand what that means. If being you is that you just want to share what’s important to you, you also have to know that it’s okay if maybe your account doesn’t grow, or maybe you don’t get the same numbers other people do. But that’s okay, because the people that do come through are really quality people in your life.” --- Josh

“I put myself in this box of creative versus not creative. This year, I basically said I’m not going to think of myself this way anymore.” --- Stasia

“I just wanted to let myself out of my internal noncreative box I had put myself in.” --- Stasia

“You almost have to give yourself permission to let yourself explore [your creative passions].” --- Stasia

“Your creativity can look wildly different from someone else’s, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t count or it’s not valid.” --- Ashley

“There were always some topics I never used to write about because I was afraid of what would happen if I did.” --- Abbigail

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn

A View of the Lake by Beryl Singleton Bissell

The Long-Shining Waters by Danielle Sosin

Roots & Sky by Christie Purifoy

The Anne of Green Gables series

Nikki Tran is a photographer, painter, pianist and puppy-mom to a Yorkipoo named Rusty. Over the last several years she has built a business as a talented wedding photographer in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Now, she’s decided to give up what some people would think is a dream job to return to a 9-5 life. Listen in as she describes what her motivating factors are, and how she plans to make room for her creativity in this transition.

Here’s where to find Nikki:

Blog: http://nikkitranphotography.com/blog

Wedding Photography Website: http://nikkitranphotography.com

Photoshop Resources Website: http://theenchantedcollections.com

Facebook (Wedding Photography & Blog): https://www.facebook.com/nikkitranphotography/

Facebook (Photoshop Resources): https://www.facebook.com/theenchantedcollections/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkitran1015/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tran2011/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nikkitranphotography

Here’s where to find Ashley:

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where to find Abbigail:

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Mini Book Club:

We gushed about our favorite classic children’s lit as well as what books we turn to as escapist literature. What are your favorites? Tell us on Twitter with #ChasingCreative!

The Mary Poppins Series

The Harry Potter Series

The Laura Ingalls Series

The Doldrums - Nicholas Gannon

Anything - Susan Branch

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Four Seasons in Rome - Anthony Doerr

Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Quotes from this Episode:

“Owning my own business has opened up a lot of doors for me.” - Nikki

“I looked at what the professionals were doing and I did it too.” - Nikki, on being self-taught

“I don’t think you ever lose that feeling of being a fraud... I like what I do. That’s all I need.” - Nikki

“What I’m hearing is that everybody just feels like they are completely winging it.” - Ashley

“It’s great when other creative people can be honest and say ‘Nope, I’m totally faking it over here! How about you?!?’” - Abbigail

“If you don’t like what you’re doing, it’s not going to work.” - Nikki

“No 9-5 job, no kids, no schedule… it sounds like a dream, but it can really mean 60 or 70 hour work weeks because there are no boundaries.” - Ashley

“Make creativity easy for yourself.” - Abbigail

“I’m completely different than I was at 22, and it’s only been 4 years.” - Nikki

“We feel so much pressure to make money off of everything. It can be just as successful to have a steady job and work on the things that you really care about. Sometimes the pressure takes all of the fun out of it.” - Ashley

“I’m excited to leave work and come home and work on creative things that I really want to do.” - Nikki

“It it gets rejected or doesn’t get in, it’s OK. At least I wrote it.” - Ashley, on creating for the sake of creating

“I think it’s good to mix personal and business... People want to know the you behind the business.” - Nikki

“I love the kiddish wonder in things.” - Nikki

“I’m 26-going-on-5.” - Nikki

In this solo episode, we're taking you behind the scenes of our own creative lives. Learn about the tools we use to manage our creative projects, our favorite ways to outsource mundane tasks, what our daily routines look like, and how we define creative success.

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

This episode's show notes contain affiliate links. Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast!

Outsourcing

Coborns Delivers

Instacart

Thumbtack

Stitch Fix

Calendars

Day Designer

Emily Ley's Simplified Planner, Weekly Edition

iCal

Social media and blogging

Asana

Evernote

CoSchedule

Editorial Calendar plugin

Edgar

BoardBooster

Canva

PicMonkey

Pages

Death to the Stock Photo

Photoshop

Lightroom

Buffer

LaterGram

The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa Terkeurst

Creative You: Using Your Personality Type to Thrive by Otto Kroeger and David B. Goldstein

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte

A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily P. Freeman

“I don’t want groceries and dust bunnies to be the reason I don’t hit my creative goals.” --- Ashley

“Every season of life has its different adjustments, and you just have to figure out what that new adjustment looks like for you.” --- Abbigail

“Where can I make space in the next 24 hours for this thing I want to work on?” --- Ashley

“I’m just used to not having my 9-5 open to do anything creative, and I just try to figure out ways to make it work in the margins of life.” --- Abbigail

“Maybe there’s a commitment you need to take a step back from as part of your creative strategy.” --- Ashley

“Having to make time for this and be accountable to myself for $0 a day is what’s proven to me that this is something that’s important to me and that I’m going to keep doing it.” --- Abbigail

“Sometimes we need to separate the monetary value from the creative work.” --- Ashley

“I think that’s part of why this podcast exists: none of us have it all figured out.” --- Abbigail

Jennie Moraitis from Little Girl Designs started college as a music major… and then ended up working at engineering firms all across the U.S. It’s a little less of a traditional route than we hear on Chasing Creative, and it was such a joy to hear how she re-introduced creativity in her life, how she got started blogging about creativity, and how she makes time for it in her everyday life. She shares with us her theory of “procrastinating joy” - and how she created the project #2030Make to help us all conquer it.

Here's where to find Jennie:

Website & Creativity Resources: http://www.littlegirldesigns.com/cc/

#2030Make: http://littlegirldesigns.com/30daycreativechallenge/

Shop: https://gumroad.com/littlegirldesigns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thelittlegirldesigns/

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

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

Here’s where to find Ashley:

Website: http://www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where to find Abbigail:

Website: http://www.www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Mini Book Club:

The Crossroads of Should and Must - Elle Luna

How to Be An Explorer of Your World - Keri Smith

Spilling Open - Sabrina Ward Harrison

Thinking Outside the Gift Box - Lauren Lanker

Little Red Writing Hood - Melissa Sweet

Amos and Boris - William Steig: the story of the unlikely friendship between a mouse and a whale

Euphoria - Lily King

The Girl with All the Gifts - M. R. Cary

Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert

Out of Sorts - Sarah Bessey

A Prayer Journal - Flannery O’Connor

Overwhelmed - Brigid Schulte

Quotes from this episode:

“That move was my creative renaissance. I started exploring my creativity again.” - Jennie

“I almost majored in biochemical engineering.” - Ashley (seriously!)

“I get a lot of my inspiration from children’s books, actually.” - Jennie

“I started getting emails from people asking me how I made time for creativity… so I started sharing.” - Jennie

“I love talking about creativity. It is so varied and broad. All of us are creative, but people express it so differently.” - Jennie

“I love seeing how creativity comes out in different ways in different people.” - Ashley

“I struggled with my creativity because I wasn’t making money from it… it felt like it wasn’t legitimate.” - Jennie

“You wonder is all of this even worth it if I’m not benefiting financially. Sometimes, we just need to be creative, and not for any other higher purpose than being creative.” - Abbigail

“What else am I going to do? This is my life. I love doing this and making things.” - Jennie

“We want the experience or the conditions for creativity to be perfect - and most of the time they aren’t.” - Abbigail

“I’m a big believer in secret projects. You don’t have to share everything.” - Jennie

“I call it ‘procrastinating joy’ - you have something you want to make, but instead you do something else. Why am I organizing my sock drawer when I can’t write for 15 minutes?” - Jennie

“I didn’t consider it being creative because I wasn’t doing projects that had a beginning and an end. It made me redefine creativity for myself.” - Jennie

“Choose one thing: you don’t have to do them all.” - Jennie

“Make an actual date with yourself.” - Jennie

“If your creative retreat is a burden, you’ve kind of missed the whole point.” - Jennie

Morgan Swank is a freelance fashion illustrator: how cool is that? We loved chatting with Morgan about how she chose to do what she loved even when it was a little scary, how she finds balance between making and creating, and how to stay yourself on social media. For all of you introverts out there, she also talks about the struggle to balance the desire to be alone in order to nurture creativity, with not being too disconnected from people that she goes too crazy. Relate? We sure can.

Here’s Where to Find Morgan:

Website: http://www.morganswank.com

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

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

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

Here’s where to find Ashley:

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where to find Abbigail:

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Mini Book Club:

The Gift of Asher Leve by Chaim Potok

Creative, Inc. by Joy Cho: A book Morgan found helpful for freelancing. High level, but gives you a good starting place for your thoughts.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: A book about creativity and art. It has a lot of good exercises and practices to help unleash your creativity.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Quotes from this Episode:

“I realized that I loved fashion and that is what I wanted to pursue.” - Morgan

“I think the desire to do fashion illustration just kept growing.” - Morgan

“Once you end up crying in a J.C. Penny’s parking lot, you realize you have to make a life change.” - Morgan

“When there is a passion like that that keeps coming back again and again, and you can’t squash it down into something more reasonable or something that earns a better paycheck, that is definitely a sign that you just need to go for it.” - Ashley

“The majority of it is being a hardworking, show up on time person. Look like you care.” - Morgan’s secret to success

“I’m not being creative. I’m not drawing anything. I’m just sitting on the couch binge-watching Netflix.” - Morgan

“I try to jealously guard my Saturdays so that, as an introvert, I can have that day to not see people.” - Abbigail

“I don’t have time to create art and market art.” - Morgan

“My hope is that my pictures speak a 1,000 words and that people just enjoy seeing something pretty.” - Morgan

“The thing that turns me off is when I feel somebody is being disingenuous.” - Morgan

“Sometimes, my true self is just silent.” - Morgan

“I don’t want to put myself out there on so many streams that I feel overwhelmed.” - Morgan

“The social media part of marketing can completely take over your life if you let it.” - Ashley

“If having 140 characters or less would make people like me more, then I don’t need to go for those people then.” - Morgan

“You’re never going to do social media justice if you hate doing it.” - Abbigail

“What are the next five things I need to do. Then I do them.” - Morgan

“As a freelancer I can get really internalized. I need to stop and see what other people are doing.” - Morgan

“At the end of the day: what do I want to do? Is it a good reflection of me?” - Morgan

“Right now, what I’m doing is the closest expression of me and my style as I can be at the moment.” - Morgan

“You are following your passions. If you were anybody else, you wouldn’t be you.” - Morgan

“I don’t do it all well, but my life as a freelancer is a marathon, not a sprint.” - Morgan

“The reason you make your own job is to enjoy it. If you aren’t enjoying it, you might be doing something a little more than you ought to.” - Abbigail

This episode is a little longer than usual, but we think Kendra’s words are worth it. We giggled. We made fun of folding fitted sheets. And we so, so enjoyed her perspective on making time for creativity amidst the craziness of children, home renovations, and the changing seasons of life. She gets seriously real about not feeling guilty about taking time for yourself, and how being a mom is not always what fills her creatively. She’s exactly the kind of creative, regular person we had in mind when we started the Chasing Creative podcast, and we hope you will enjoy and learn from her words of wisdom on being your own creative self.

P.S. from Abbie: Do you ever get a little tongue-tied when speaking to one of your internet crushes? I totally do. And Kendra is one of them. So… when I said at 1:45 that I’m not a wife or a mom… it was my mouth getting ahead of my brain. I’ve been married for nearly 10 YEARS and somehow declared that I wasn’t. Oops. Love you, Scott! I’m not a mom, though, so I was half correct. :)

Here’s where to Find Kendra:

Website: http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lazylazygenius

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

Podcast: http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/podcasts/

Here’s where to find Ashley:

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where to find Abbigail:

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Mini Book Club:

Kendra's recent fiction reads:

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

Wild - Cheryl Strayed

Kendra's recent nonfiction reads:

Ignore Everybody - Hugh McCloud

Creativity books Kendra's excited about:

Deep Work - Cal Newport

Rework - Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

Presence - Amy Cuddy

Kendra’s favorites of all-time (fiction):

Till We Have Faces - CS Lewis

Harry Potter (duh)

The Wingfeather Saga - Andrew Peterson

Jane Austen, Bronte sisters, etc.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Favorites of all-time (nonfiction):

Anything by Tina Fey or Mindy Kaling

Anything by Emily Freeman

Thinkertoys - Michael Michalko… this is a good one to talk about because it gives ideas to engage your brain in unusual ways when you need a fresh take on your creativity.

What Ashley & Abbigail are reading:

Divergent - Veronica Roth

The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater

The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo

Out of Sorts - Sarah Bessey

A Prayer Journal - Flannery O’Connor

Overwhelmed - Brigid Schulte

A Million Little Ways - Emily Freeman

Quotes from this Episode:

“I couldn’t get the writing jitters out any other way.” - Kendra

“If I am going to do this, I need to have a new perspective.” - Kendra

“This is not where your value comes from. I feel like I need to help people connect dots differently for their life.” - Kendra

“I feel like everybody needs some sort of creative outlet, and I long for people who haven’t found it yet, to find it.” - Kendra

“One thing I’ve learned in starting businesses: they build on each other and your creativity changes with your life.” - Kendra

“The things that don’t matter: folding fitted sheets.” - Abbigail

“I’ve learned is that tips can only go as far as how kind you are to yourself with you don’t follow them.” - Kendra

“Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself as kindly as you do your best friend.” - Kendra

“Everybody has their own personal method for overthinking things that don’t matter.” - Ashley

“I know that for a long time I saw makers and artists as people who used paint.” - Kendra

“Being a mother is not always what makes me come alive. I think it’s OK.” - Kendra

“I can be a fully creative version of myself and be a mom at the same time.” - Kendra

“I never gave myself to permission to be bad at things.” - Kendra

“I didn’t create because I was told I couldn’t.” - Kendra

“You can choose to be a maker. It works a different part of your brain. It engages a different part of your soul” - Kendra

“You can approach life in general as art.” - Abbigail

“Don’t do anything during those hours that your children are gone that you could do when they are around.” - Kendra

“I don’t do anything while she naps that I could do while she is awake.” - Ashley

“There is time. It is OK for you to claim it for yourself.” - Kendra

“It’s OK to be frustrated with the way life is. But go into with the thought that you are going to make for as long as you can.” - Kendra

“Life is hard. Being a person is hard. No one is exempt.” - Kendra

“You can live a life that doesn’t have constant production and it be full and not at all wasteful.” - Kendra

“If I want to work, I trust that desire to work. If I just really want to watch TV, I trust that desire.” - Kendra

“If you feel guilt about sitting down to watch TV, then maybe you should be working on something instead.” - Abbigail

“You know yourself and you need to be kind to yourself.” - Kendra

“End products are not the sole reason for creativity.” - Ashley

“Cheryl Strayed is a magician. She made me want to go hike. I don’t hike.” - Kendra

We're chatting with Bethany Grow about her transition from working as a freelance graphic designer to developing ice cream recipes in the hopes of one day opening her own ice cream shop. Join us as we talk about how to how to handle tricky creative transitions, why it's worth it to embrace trying new things, and how to find positivity on social media.

Website: http://www.bethanygrow.com

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

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

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

Don't forget to check out Bethany's foodie stationary on Etsy and her food and travel website, The Collaboreat!

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Sloth app

Day Designer

Simplified Planner, weekly edition

Get to Work Book

Asana

Evernote

Ashley's blog post, "Books I Hate that Everyone Else Loves"

My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl

Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer

“Usually by the afternoon I get antsy to leave my desk, so that’s when I go make ice cream.” --- Bethany

“It’s always good to have a system, especially if you’re working with other people and collaborating on different things.” --- Ashley

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned with collaborating with people, especially on the Collaboreat, is just to put myself out there, even if I feel super awkward about it.” --- Bethany

“I’ve had to train myself to say who cares if they don’t respond, or say no, or don’t like me, or think I’m awkward. I’m going to ask anyway.” --- Bethany

“I focus on the people who say yes and are really excited about it.” --- Bethany

“A lot of amazing things have come from being brave and getting out there.” --- Bethany

“Get over yourself and your fears and reach out. What’s the worst that could happen?” --- Bethany

“If they’re not excited, you didn’t want to partner with them anyway.” --- Abbigail

“During my girlboss designer stage, I really got overwhelmed with doing everything. I was trying to follow every piece of advice out there about how to win on social media on every platform. It just never felt right, and I was exhausted.” --- Bethany

“I think I found a good balance where I can comfortably promote the things I’m doing and the things I really care about for those who actually care and want to know what I’m up to, as well as sharing my life moments.” --- Bethany

“I’m being more mindful about who I follow and how I react to what people post.” --- Bethany

“What is running your own business and being an entrepreneur all about if you hate what you do?” --- Abbigail

“I love change and trying new things. This is just another one of those things I’m just enjoying learning about.” --- Bethany

“We didn’t know how to start a podcast, but we knew how to Google how to start a podcast.” --- Abbigail

“I think the biggest part of change that’s been hard for me is being able to tell people about it.” --- Bethany

“When I’m going through stressful transitions, I always fall back on my favorite ‘comfort food,’ which is the books I love.” --- Abbigail

Lindsay Crandall is a photographer and writer, a mama, and half of the daily collaboration at hellotherefriend.com. She has written for Art House America and The Curator. Most recently, Lindsay began working as a photographer with Stocksy United. Listen in as we chat with Lindsay about finding joy in creativity, defining creative success on your own terms, being actively creative, and finding art in the ordinary.

Website: www.lindsaycrandall.com

Instagram: instagram.com/@lindsaycrandall

Twitter: twitter.com/@crandall

Don't forget to check out Lindsay and Beth's daily letter-writing collaboration at http://www.hellotherefriend.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/hellotherefriendproject/!

Website: http://brookseditorial.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrooksEditorial

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

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

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle

If you’re asking me about my creative journey, it goes back to when I

It’s interesting how when you are interested in things, the resources

Sometimes to be your most creative self you need to step back from

If it doesn’t give me some sense of joy and make my heart sing, what

I love the excitement of learning something new. It makes you feel

I am a creative person and I want to continually pursue that. ---

I could be sitting on the couch watching reality TV and wasting all my

Being actively creative is the difference between creating and

What is that thing that makes your heart sing? --- Lindsay

There is an ebb and a flow to it all the time. I’m not creating in

The idea of showing up every day and doing the work is the kind of

What in my life can I celebrate through a photograph? --- Lindsay

There are all sorts of beautiful things around us. We don’t

Embrace the fact that life is extremely ordinary, but we can have

As creatives, everything you know is important for the next step you

“Essay” in French means “to try.” --- Lindsay

Our collaboration has become such a deep friendship. - Lindsay

It is amazing how much more intentional we are with our thoughts and

I was so beaten up by the word “fearless.” It was awesome, but

No words. No challenges. This is a time to pull back, not to push

“Only what matters”: that is my guiding force for the year. - Lindsay

Maybe this is a Sabbath year for me. - Lindsay

Without the Internet, does my life feel satisfying and full? ---

She was talking about showing up and doing the work before it was a

I first read Walking on Water in college and I think I’ve re-read it

Listening to the seasons of your own life - Madeleine L’Engle would

Susannah Brinkley is the creative behind food and travel blog Feast + West and the branding and graphic design site Garnishing Co. Join us as we chat about the challenges of balancing many interests and projects, staying productive and organized, finding your creative focus, and why the cycle of creative burnout may not be as bad as you thought.

Websites: feastandwest.com and garnishing.co

Instagram: instagram.com/slbrinkley, instagram.com/feastandwest, and instagram.com/garnishingco

Twitter: twitter.com/feastandwest and twitter.com/garnishingco

Facebook: facebook.com/feastandwest and facebook.com/garnishingco

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Blog, Inc. by Joy Cho

The AP Style Guide

The Recipe Writer's Handbook

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

#GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

On blogging: “If I’m going to do this, I’m going to be all in.” -- Susannah

“My blog is my living portfolio.” --- Susannah

“You have to have a box in order to think outside the box.” --- Susannah

“I’d rather be crossing a lot of boundaries than feeling like I’m stuck inside one thing.” --- Susannah

“I just needed to focus on all the things I was doing for myself.” --- Susannah

“Some of my best ideas come from a place of burnout.” --- Susannah

“Burnout is inevitable. How can you make the most of it?” --- Susannah

“I build a [creative] system, then I can break the system.” --- Susannah

Amanda Shofner satisfies her need for adventure through the written word. She’s a self-published author who has written urban fantasy, non-fiction and romantic suspense. She’s a voracious reader, TV-watcher and Minneapolis native. We chatted with Amanda about her writing process, alpha readers, beta readers, pantsing, plotting and a little bit of everything in between.

Here’s where to find Amanda Shofner:

Website/blog: http://amandashofner.com/

My blog posts at Mill City Press/where my non-personal writing content is: https://www.millcitypress.net/blog/authors/amanda-shofner

Published: http://published.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/amshofner

Instagram: http://instagram.com/amshofner

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

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

Writing Sprint Hashtags: #NaNoWriMo #AmWriting

Mill City Press self-publishing services: https://www.millcitypress.net

Here’s where to find Ashley:

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where to find Abbigail:

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

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

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

Mini Book Club:

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi

The Lunar Chronicle Series by Marissa Meyer

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Quotes:

“Everything I have done in life has led me to where I am now.” -- Amanda

“Writing is a priority and I had to figure out how to fit it in my life.” -- Amanda

“I started writing 30 minutes every morning. A morning is not a morning without writing.” -- Amanda

“Your self control stumbles over into other areas of your life when you choose to be really diligent about something.” -- Abbigail

“You don’t need a lot of time to write.” -- Amanda

“A lot of the things that I told myself about writing were wrong. Writing is what you make it.” - Amanda

“If you commit to writing and if it is something you really want to do, you will be surprised in where you can find the time.” -- Amanda

“[Netflix] is kind of an easy pit to fall into.” -- Ashley

“It’s tough to find a balance: sometimes you do need those days where you don’t do anything.” -- Ashley

“Sometimes just doing the work in your daily life takes a fair amount of creativity.” -- Ashley

“The first draft can be terrible. I can hit delete later on in revision. But I need to write terrible now to get to the next point.” -- Amanda

“Given the choice between something that I am really excited about and something that I want to never look at again, it was an easy choice.” -- Amanda

“You need to be excited about the project that you are working on.” -- Ashley

“You still run into problems, but writing can be enjoyable.” -- Amanda

“Times are changing in self-publishing: it’s no longer a last resort.” -- Amanda

“It’s probably smarter to focus on one thing at a time.” -- Ashley

“That’s why I have a full-time job: I can write as much as I want and not have to worry about what is paying my bills.” -- Amanda

“Having a full time job allows you to take a little more risk and fail a little more often.” -- Abbigail

“The ability to fail is huge. You have to be able to fail in order to succeed. Failing means you are trying things.” -- Amanda

“Creativity is more like a muscle: you have to train it to do what you want it to do.” -- Amanda

“Writers struggle at finding other people to connect with. It is a very isolating experience.” -- Amanda

“Writing sprints are how I am able to do as much as I do.” - Amanda