Creative Happy Hour

In this episode, writing coach Karena Akhavein, Ph.D., unveils the art of effectively using your voice as an author. Learn to craft compelling dialogue, foster meaningful connections with fellow writers, and maximize the potential of word-of-mouth marketing for your book. Additionally, gain essential insights on thriving at writers' conferences. This episode is a goldmine of actionable writing techniques, productivity hacks, and marketing strategies, designed to propel your writing career to new heights. Tune in now and transform your writing journey!

In this episode, explore the transformative journey of embracing vulnerability as a writer. Discover how vulnerability paradoxically can be the key to crafting stronger characters that resonate with readers. Embracing vulnerability is also one of the mindset secrets to building a successful writing career, but it's not comfortable or easy to do. Join us as we delve into the art of character development, the courage to share your authentic self, and the strategies for achieving writing success through the lens of vulnerability. Don't miss this insightful talk by PhD writing coach Karena Akhavein as she relates the stories of two of her clients- Sarah and  Paula, and herself, who were struggling with identity and vulnerability in their characterization, with their mindset, and in their author platform, specifically writing under a pseudonym. Whether it's the craft of storytelling, author mindset, or the business of being a successful writer, you'll find some valuable takeaways in this episode of the How to be an Author podcast.

What's the secret to being more creative and better at art? The answer might surprise you. In this uplifting episode, we talk about good art, bad art, and art that flies away. You'll also get to explore the repulsive candidates for the world's most disgusting cocktail and learn about the Museum of Bad art in Boston. Join us and get drunk on the creative possibilities.

Think Frida Kahlo. Karl Lagerfeld. Lady Gaga. Andy Warhol. Creatives whose work, life, style, and values are inextricably enmeshed, exponentially increasing their creative reach and impact. That is the power of the personal brand. A brand clearly communicates its values, goals, and value added to its ideal customers. But creating a brand is daunting, isn't it? And how do you achieve this clarity if you're a multipassionate creative, artist, or creative entrepreneur?

Love it or hate it, social media is the top way that most creatives, artists, writers, musicians and creative entrepreneurs can showcase  who they are and what they do. But at some point, many of us have perhaps felt frustrated: social media, or the algorithm, doesn't seem to be working for us anymore. Our old accounts are stale, with low engagement, or they show a version of ourselves that doesn't align with who we are, or who we want to be. Our feeds are clogged with uninspiring content from people we obligation-followed eons ago. 

As multi passionate creatives, once we have determined our brand, clarity in our messaging is key, or maybe we've decided we would be better served by a few separate accounts.

But starting over is daunting. Does it even make sense? Why and how does one wipe the slate clean on social media without losing everything?

Join us as we get drunk on the creative possibilities of starting over.

You may have read The Secret and thought, "well that is a creatively crafted load of bullshit." That Ferrari from your vision board never materialized, you've tried repeating affirmations in the mirror, but your book is still not a bestseller and your paintings aren't being shown at Art Basel this year...so you decided that this manifesting stuff was ridiculous. Wait. Actual scientific research has proven that the principles of manifesting do work when you are trying to build your best creative life and work towards your creative dreams. We'll be chatting with Hallie Avolio, founder of Sassy Healthy Fit, who explains how it all works and has crafted an affirmation specifically for multi passionate creatives like you.

Everywhere you see the headlines touting new trends that we MUST adopt if we want to remain competitive in the artistic, creative, and entrepreneurial space. But what is a trend? How does it begin, peak, and fizzle out, and should we adopt trends or focus on being iconoclasts? What are some of the most egregious trends that have shaped the art and creative worlds, and what are some of the creative marketing trends we should be aware of as artists, creatives, and creative entrepreneurs? Get drunk on the creative possibilities of everything trendy in this episode of the Creative Happy Hour podcast.

When you’re a multi passionate creative, having a podcast can be a great way to explore, express, and promote some of your many passions. Podcasting can give you newfound authority, hone your voice, and give you access to other extraordinarily inspiring creatives. But most busy creatives assume it's hard to do, or that it takes too much time or technical skills. In this episode of Creative Happy Hour, we'll be drinking Tide Pod shots and getting drunk on the creative possibilities of starting a creative podcast the right way.

When you're an artist, a creative or a creative entrepreneur, marketing your work is hard. It can feel too much like self-promotion, it can feel like it takes time out of our creative pursuits, and many of us wish it wasn't part of our job.

The bad news is, marketing is very much part of your job, whether you're an artist, a writer, a musician, a crafter, or a creative entrepreneur. The good news is, creative marketing can really make a huge difference in your business, and most creatives are naturally pretty good at it- once they've broken through their initial resistance. In this episode, we'll talk about meeting Tom Bulleit of Bulleit Bourbon and how he revolutionized the world of marketing, and we'll be drinking a Mint Julep.

Many multi-passionate creatives have tons of great ideas all the time. When they move on to the next idea without seeing one side through, some people assume that it's because they got bored or because of shiny object syndrome. But that's not the complete story. Often creative ideas and projects remain unfinished or even don't get started because fear makes us talk ourselves out of it. In this episode we discuss fear, fears that are common to creatives, such as fear of failure, fear of success, fear of rejection, and how fear impacts our creativity and creative success, and how creatives, artists, writers, and creative entrepreneurs can make their creative dreams come true despite the fear.