Welcome back to the final episode of the Creativity Miniseries! In this conversation, Emily Sutherland and I open up our personal creativity toolkits and share the resources and strategies that help us bring our ideas to life.

Working on this miniseries with Emily has been an absolute joy. She’s not just an incredible creative and coach—she’s also become a trusted friend and advisor throughout the development of Wrestling a Walrus, my first children’s book. I truly could not imagine doing this without her.

Interestingly, we didn’t plan on recording another discussion on the creative process, but that’s exactly where our behind-the scenes, warm-up conversation led us. So, we left it in. I think you might find some usefulness in this bonus material as we share our thoughts on the value of authenticity, the importance of differentiating yourself, and the surprising relationship between uncertainty and clarity. 

A huge thank you to Emily for her wisdom and generosity, and to you for joining us as part of the creative community. 

Buy my NEW book Wrestling a Walrus, HERE!

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Emily Sutherland’s Storytelling for Business (April 4, 2025) and Nurturing Your Creative Self (May 9, 2025) - https://www.emilysutherland.me/events

Storytelling Community (Substack) - https://open.substack.com/pub/storytellingcommunity

The Secret Lies Within by “Auntie Anne” Beiler and Emily H. Sutherland - http://bit.ly/3FmIxPT

Betsy B. Murphy - https://substack.com/@betsybmurphy or http://betsybmurphy.com/

Vanessa Marin, sex therapist on IG @vanessaandxander

PROCESS TOOLKIT

Write it down when you feel it (and be prepared in the middle of the night).

Be ready for the idea.

Be discerning about what, when, and who to share your idea with.   

When your idea is at a tender stage, who are your tender people? Do you need an editor or a cheerleader?

Journaling. Let the creative juices flow without requiring an outcome.

The more you write, the more ideas will come. Immerse yourself  and trust the process. 

Try on new ideas to see if they go anywhere.

“I make what I like, and they eat it how they want to eat it.” - Erykah Badu to Donald Glover

ELECTRONIC TOOLS

Manuscript Software - Scrivener - affiliate link: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview?fpr=emilysuth

Google Docs, YouTube, and Apps (e.g., voice memo, talk-to-text, notes)

IngramSpark - https://www.ingramspark.com/ 

Kindle Direct Publishing - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B008241EAQ

Storytelling Workshops - https://www.emilysutherland.me/events

PHYSICAL TOOLS 

Fine Tip Sharpie Pen or The Pilot G2 (in multiple colors!)

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/books/big-magic/

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - https://writingforyourlife.com/bird-by-bird-some-instructions-on-writing-and-life/

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - https://juliacameronlive.com/books-by-julia/

Rifle Paper Company little notebooks (great for lefties!) - https://riflepaperco.com/

The Treasured Journal - https://danielleireland.com/journal

DANIELLE IRELAND, LCSW

Thank you for your support and engagement as part of the Don't Cut Your Own Bangs community. Feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or anything you'd like to share. You can connect with me at any of the links below.

Website - https://danielleireland.com/

The Treasured Journal - https://danielleireland.com/journal

Substack - https://danielleireland.substack.com/

Blog - https://danielleireland.com/blog/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danielleireland_lcsw

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/danielleireland.LCSW

Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@danielleireland8218/featured