Creative Spark Podcast

Why is the beginning of a new year so popular for making resolutions and fresh starts? What is it about a new year that brings out the resolve to take out gym memberships, start diets, and quit smoking? Why can’t we harness this energy every day?

Enjoy the episode and find all the links and resources mentioned here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode22

 

Procrastination refers to the process of delaying or postponing tasks. Everyone bangs on about we should try all these techniques to avoid procrastination but I think that procrastinating is sometimes our subconscious telling us we need time to think about the work we are supposed to be doing

Enjoy the episode and find all the links and resources mentioned here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode21

 

When you are creative it’s easy to lose track of what you are meant to be doing with your life, why you have creative skills, who you can help with them and how you can make money. There is often a conflict between our passion, mission, vocation, and profession, many people have unfulfilling jobs for this exact reason.

The overlap diagram is a simple way to see where all four areas of your life intersect.

Download your free template here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode20

Just about every creative I ever speak to, myself included, has struggled at some time or another with choosing a focus for their creativity. Shiny object syndrome can make it very difficult to choose just one thing.

I struggled with this for many years until I discovered the Ikigai, which is the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. 

Enjoy the episode and find all the links and resources mentioned here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode19

 

Traditional education systems praise the correct solution and discourage mistakes. It can be challenging to move into a creative headspace where mistakes are actively encouraged. To be creatively successful, however, you must shift from a desire to validate your talent and intelligence to stretching to learn something new. This means being prepared to make mistakes.

Enjoy the episode and find all the links and resources mentioned here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode18

The idea that we stop learning when we finish high school or university is as outdated as the concept of having one job for the rest of our lives. The industrial mindset is currently being replaced by the entrepreneurial mindset. In the same way, the concept of structured education at the start of our lives is being replaced by a commitment to lifelong, self-directed learning all throughout our lives. Education is something other people bestow on you. Learning is something we do for ourselves.

Enjoy the episode and find all the links and resources mentioned here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode17

When you are building your creative side business, you need to be creating products and services that people actually need. You might be super passionate and interested in an idea, but if no one else is, you have a hobby, not a business. Conversely, you might have skills or solutions that people want or need, but if they don’t light you up, you probably have what I like to call "a job".

This episode has an exercise. Download your free template here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode16

 

I have spent over twenty years in design education and seen irreversible changes to the industry as a whole. These changes are due mainly to the introduction of the desktop computer and the Internet. The Internet has allowed for the outsourcing of design services, in most cases to developing countries. The resulting tide of templates, free fonts and cheap solutions undermine the quality of professional design services. But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

The way forward for the creative industries as a whole is for us to express creativity through our unique point of view. Finding ways of demonstrating innovation, authority, vision and strategy has always value-added creative practice. You may have rockstar layout skills, great taste, software proficiency, and client service to die for, but these will no longer sustain a business model. Without the addition of a unique viewpoint, the role of the creative will devalue to the point where they can easily be replaced.

Enjoy the episode and find all the links and resources mentioned here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode15

In this day and age, the methods of prioritising that worked for our parents, and grandparents no longer work for us. There is much more other people need us to do, and so many more ways they can get us to do it. However, putting others first means putting your creativity last.

Learning to accept that you will never get it all done and learning instead to prioritise your own needs over the needs of others are two essential skills you will need to develop to claw back more time for yourself every day. 

Download the worksheet and listen to the podcast for instructions. https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode14  

As a Creative Entrepreneur, it is often a struggle to keep on top of all the skills you need to develop to build a creative business. We are not born with skills—they are developed through experiences in life and work. Learning a new skill builds confidence and based on our environment and aptitude, and some skills are easier to learn than others.

By identifying what skills you have already mastered, you can understand the unique composition for your Creative Superpower.

Enjoy the episode and find all the links and resources mentioned here: https://www.creativesparkpodcast.com/blog/episode13