Common Shapes

Welcome back to Common Shapes.

Dear Listener, this is the third installment of our 3-part mini-series exploring the ebbs and flows of creative work.

Today’s episode marks the return of Landscapes—a writing group for all genres. Registration is now open. Join us.

We also explore the writing process— moving from idea to draft to completion, and the structures that support that work. Cody shares how their new book, The Practice of Attention, came to life within the container of Landscapes, and reflects on the role of community in completing and celebrating a creative project.

In this episode:

• The origin and evolution of The Practice of Attention
• How Landscapes supported the writing and completion of the book
• The role of structure, rhythm, and body doubling in sustaining creative work
• The importance of celebrating milestones
• Releasing work into the world without social media—and the quiet that follows
• Community as both a creative and personal anchor

Invitations:

• Landscapes (Writing Co-working Group — now open for registration)
• The Practice of Attention (my new book!)
• PROMPTS (Analog Newsletter)
• Creative Ideation Portal (free resource)
• The Pattern of Words: From Idea to Shape in Three Weeks (upcoming class May 13, 20, and 27th)

More From Cody:

• Off the Grid Interview: The Practice of Attention — Healing Social Media Addiction with Cody Cook-Parrott
• Sounds True Interview: Cody Cook-Parrott: Attention is a Creative Act

Thank you for listening to this mini-series.

Thanks to Joi, Melissa Kaitlyn Carter, and Jess Herrera for their help making this episode.

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

Welcome back to Common Shapes.

Dear Listener, this is the second installment of our 3-part mini-series exploring the ebbs and flows of creative work.

Today’s episode is about offline offerings— the act of returning to a practice, creating with less noise, and building new channels for connection.

Cody shares the evolution of PROMPTS. Prompts comes to your door once a month. A letter from Cody with ten writing prompts to do off screen.

Cody also reflects on the tension between visibility, burnout, and the desire to stay in conversation with their audience.

In this episode:

• Navigating burnout and rethinking the pace and structure of the podcast
• The desire for connection and communication without screens/social media
• The origin of PROMPTS as a project shaped inside Landscapes (a writing co-working group)
• Using themes as a creative constraint to support consistency and flow
• The role of analog practices in slowing down and deepening creative work

Invitations:

• PROMPTS (Analog Newsletter)
• Landscapes (Writing Co-working Group)
• Creative Ideation Portal (free resource)
• The Practice of Attention (my new book!)
• The Pattern of Words: From Idea to Shape in Three Weeks (upcoming class May 13, 20, and 27th)

Tune in tomorrow for episode three of this mini-series.

Thanks to Joi, Melissa Kaitlyn Carter, and Jess Herrera for their help making this episode.

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

Welcome back to Common Shapes.

Dear Listener, as we pause between seasons, we’re bringing you a 3-part mini series to re-connect with you and talk about the ebbs and flows of creative work.

Today’s episode explores what happens when a project comes into the foreground of our attention and asks to be revisited.

Cody shares life and work updates, and an invitation to join Landscapes: a writing group for all genres.

In this episode:

• Reflections on closing Landscapes—and what made it unsustainable at the time
• What shifted in the quiet absence of social media
• The role of creative community in anchoring a writing practice
• Returning to an offering with clearer boundaries, shared facilitation, and renewed intention

Invitations:

• Landscapes (Writing Co-working Group)
• Creative Ideation Portal (free resource)
• PROMPTS (Analog Newsletter)
• The Practice of Attention (my new book!)
• The Pattern of Words: From Idea to Shape in Three Weeks (upcoming class May 13, 20, and 27th)

Tune in tomorrow for episode two of this mini-series.

Thanks to Joi, Melissa Kaitlyn Carter, and Jess Herrera for their help making this episode.

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

Podge Thomas is in the middle of a pivot. She’s moving from operations consulting to teaching workshops and courses — all rooted in her frameworks for decolonizing how we learn.

In this neurodiverse-affirming episode, we talk about:

• Why we love Notion & how it’s made us smarter
• How Podge grows her audience without social media
• The importance of moving from ‘not doing the thing’ to just doing the thing
• Classified ads & relationship marketing
• How digital gardening can be a decolonial practice
• Ways we think about pricing our offerings and choosing our tech tools

Mentioned in the episode:

• Creative Ideation Portal
• Podge’s website
• Podge’s free email course
• Podge’s workshops
• Regina Anaejionu
• Anna Howard: creating a digital garden to end my doomscrolling

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

What if the page was a mirror for the process, rather than the product?

In this episode, I share how I weave my projects together through writing.

I open the pages of my cross-pollination log, trace the path of how “untitled field project” became my business coaching group Fieldwork, and offer you a journalling prompt for translating from one medium to another.

Tune in for a portal into your own metaphors, obsessions, and vortexes of creative imagination.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Creative Ideation Portal
• A Quilt in a Weekend
• Pollinating Through Projects
• Subscribe to MONDAY MONDAY to join Object Study

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

Kening Zhu is an artist, writer, teacher, and creator building worlds on the internet.

Her approach to business is a stunning integration of creative practice, intuition, and artistic clarity.

I’m thrilled to bring you this conversation where we talk about:

• Minimalist business ecosystems
• Websites as archives outside of time
• Allowing ourselves to be multifaceted
• How Kening runs her business without platforms
• The pros & cons of paid newsletters
• Seasonal memberships that support inner rhythms
• The labyrinth as an artist’s path
• How to quit compartmentalizing business and art
• Letting your artist child grow up

Mentioned in the episode:

• Creative Ideation Portal
• Kening’s website
• Kening’s newsletter
• Kening’s podcast: Botanical Studies of Internet Magic

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

No offering is forever. But how do we sunset the ones that mean a lot to us and others?

In this episode, I share why I’ve decided to close my writing group Landscapes.

I talk through reorienting around sustainability, why my tech choices made this shift necessary, losing recurring income, and more.

Tune in for a pep talk to help you find your way toward what’s next. Then join me for Prompts, an analog writing newsletter that begins in 2026.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Creative Ideation Portal
• Prompts

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

Jamila Reddy is a writer, meditation guide, ex-entrepreneur, and dear friend.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it means to be a writer
• The capacity it takes to self-publish
• Stepping away from entrepreneurship
• Self-promotion vs self-expression
• The marketing work required to keep a business afloat
• The joys (and horrors) of working for others
• Paywalls as a way of gathering community
• Healthy distraction and self-care that doesn’t feel like labor
• New definitions of success

Mentioned in the episode:

• Creative Ideation Portal
• Jamila’s website
• Jamila’s newsletter

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

Today’s episode is about the long journey of cultivating consistency in our creative practices.

I talk about: the magic of giving up, how to find the right pace, minimum viable actions, tools for building momentum, and places to share your work.

This one’s for you if you’ve been circling something important that wants to be released into the world. Or if you’re excited about integrating daily or weekly practices, so they can support your long-term projects.

Tune in then get the Into the Broadcast Map, and join me in The Long Arc this weekend.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Into the Broadcast Map
• Creative Ideation Portal
• Sign up for The Long Arc on 10/4

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.

Let me take you behind the scenes of mapping fall in my business.

You’ll learn the three essential parts of a practice-based earning ecosystem. Plus, I share exactly how I plan my launch calendars to support my financial and energetic needs.

Tune in for clarity, camaraderie, and creative cartography.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Creative Ideation Portal
• Amelia Hruby & Nic Antoinette
• Sign up for The Long Arc on 10/4
• Join the joyful waitlists for: 
  • Pollinating Your Projects - happening in November
  • Offline Practice - happening in December
  • Landscapes - ongoing
  • Quilt Class - returning in November?
• Use my link for 50% off your first year of Flodesk

If you'd like to support the show, please send it to a friend, leave a 5-star rating & review, and download the Creative Ideation Portal.