Creating Your Own Path

Today is the final episode of Season 4! I'm wrapping things up with a co-hosted chat with this year’s CYOP Artist Resident Melanie Biehle and we're talking all about the artist residency. When I launched the CYOP Artist Residency, I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted it to roll out, but I learned a lot throughout the season and Melanie did too.

In the episode, Melanie and I chat about what we loved about the residency, what we learned, and what we might do differently next time. Melanie also shares some really great advice for those who might want to participate in any type of residency in the near future and some updates about her work as she prepares to close out the year.

Please find the full episode + show notes at creatingyourownpath.com.

We’re back with another episode featuring documentary director Sami Abdou. If you're just finding the show, I highly recommend you go back and listen to last week’s episode — episode 124 — before diving into this one. Everything will just make a lot more sense if you do.

On today’s show, I’m talking with Sami about his side projects, what they mean to him, and how he fits them in while he’s working some seriously long hours as a director for the show Intervention. We also talk a lot about the magic of Los Angeles and why being a solid human being is crucial when you’re looking to be gainfully employed in the entertainment industry.

For the full episode + show notes, visit creatingyourownpath.com.

Today we’re starting our final three-part series of the season and I’m really excited to be sharing this next guest with you. If you’ve been listening to the show for a bit, you may know that it actually started with a Q&A interview series on my blog before it became a podcast. I really wanted to bring back some of the people I interviewed in 2013 and today we’re getting some updates from my friend Sami Abdou. 

Sami is a documentary director and he works on both small projects and some pretty notable ones. For example, right now he's a director for the TV show, Intervention. In today’s episode, we learn more about Sami’s background and the real story behind why he decided to get into filmmaking, what it’s like to direct documentary films and shows, how his career has evolved over the years and how he stays happy and healthy with his intense work schedule.

For the full episode + show notes, please visit creatingyourownpath.com.

Today we’ve got the final episode in my three-part series with writer Keah Brown. If you haven’t listened to the other two episodes — 121 and 122 — please go back and listen to those first. Everything will make a little more sense if you do. 

Today, I’m chatting with Keah about all of the people in our lives who keep us moving forward. We talk about why it’s so important to have a support system, different places to find and build community these days, and why having the right people in your world will make it a little easier to do the things that scare you.

SHOW NOTES:

Keah's work

Keah on Instagram + Twitter

#DisabledAndCute

Roxane Gay

Ashley C. Ford

Tweet thread about writing/editing credits

For the full episode + show notes, please visit creatingyourownpath.com.

I’m back today with writer Keah Brown and today we’re talking about something I haven’t spent much time on around here and that’s advocacy and the power of social media.

Earlier this year, Keah started a hashtag on Twitter — #disabledandcute — and it took off just a few days later, creating an entire community around the concept. She shares the story behind it all in the episode and we also get into the power of positivity, how Keah is using her platform to advocate for herself and others, and why representation matters within the disability community and beyond.

SHOW NOTES:

Keah's work + press

Keah on Instagram + Twitter

Cerebral Palsy

#DisabledAndCute

Million Dollar Baby

Alex Slater, Trident Media Group

For the full episode + show notes, please visit creatingyourownpath.com.

Today's episode is the first in a three-part series featuring writer Keah Brown. She is a journalist who also writes poetry, fiction pieces, and non-fiction essays. She is also the mastermind behind an incredible movement called #disabledandcute, which something we get into a little more on next week’s show. What you need to know this week is that the hashtag went viral on Twitter back in February and has been gaining momentum ever since.

In the interview, we’re starting at the beginning and learning more about Keah’s career and how she fell in love with the craft of writing. She also shares how she gets into the right frame of mind to write across different genres and outlets and why it’s important for everyone to let their voices be heard.

SHOW NOTES:

Keah's work

Keah on Instagram + Twitter

Sarah Dessen

Tia Mowry-Hardrict

Robert Jordan, Pianist

Fredonia​​​​​ State University of New York

For the full episode + show notes, please visit creatingyourownpath.com.

Today, we’ve got the last episode in a three-part series with designer, writer, and educator Anne Ditmeyer. If you haven’t listened to the last two week’s worth of episodes, please do so before wrapping up the series with this episode.

In the interview, Anne and I talk about the magic of using online tools to make offline connections and how that’s been showing up in her work lately. She share’s the truth behind what we all see online these days, why she thinks work should be much more playful than it is now, and some of the best ways she’s been able to build relationships that cross the online/offline barrier.

SHOW NOTES:

Anne's portfolio

Prêt à Voyager (Anne's blog)

Navigate Paris (Anne's tours)

Anne on Instagram, Twitter + Facebook

Anne's classes on Skillshare

My first interview with Anne

Vayable

Christine Herrin on CYOP #111, #112, #113

Adobe Max

Creative Mornings Munich

Herb Lester Map Project

The Creative Digest (Extra interview snippets + the CYOP Slack Community)

For the full episode + show notes, please visit creatingyourownpath.com.

Today, I’m back with the second in a three-part series with designer, writer, and educator Anne Ditmeyer. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, please do that first! 

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Anne all about the ebbs and flows that come with working for yourself. She goes into how she handles the emotional roller coaster that can come from having too little or, in her case, too much work coming her way. She also offers advice on how to present your work if you tend to do many different types of things and why she doesn’t think she’d be very good at (or happy with) having a full-time job.

SHOW NOTES:

Anne's portfolio

Prêt à Voyager (Anne's blog)

Navigate Paris (Anne's tours)

Anne on Instagram, Twitter + Facebook

Anne's classes on Skillshare

My first interview with Anne

Design Sponge

Meighan O'Toole

Open Classrooms

Sree Sreenivasa

Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

The Creative Digest (Extra interview snippets + the CYOP Slack Community)

Find the full episode + show notes at creatingyourownpath.com.

Today's show is the first in a new three-part series with designer, writer, and educator Anne Ditmeyer. In 2013 I interviewed Anne for Creating Your Own Path before it was a podcast.

In the episode, I’m talking with Anne about how she has been able to successfully build a creatively fulfilling business across many different mediums and platforms. She chats about how living in France, and the constraints it put on her work situation, ultimately made her more creative, how she decides what platforms to use to showcase and provide access to her work, and why she’s never wanted to blog for a living — even though her blog is well-known and established.

SHOW NOTES:

Anne's portfolio

Prêt à Voyager (Anne's blog)

Navigate Paris (Anne's tours)

Anne on Instagram, Twitter + Facebook

Anne's classes on Skillshare

My first interview with Anne

Samantha Clarke (happiness consultant)

Samantha in Forbes (portfolio careers)

How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick

Parsons Paris

Wordpress, Squarespace

The Creative Digest (Extra interview snippets + the CYOP Slack Community)

For the full episode + show notes, please visit creatingyourownpath.com.