Follow Your Curiosity: You didn’t lose your creative spark. You were taught to leave it behind.

Kevin Carey came to writing and filmmaking later in his career, but has wasted no time producing a wide range of poetry, fiction, and documentaries, including a crime novel, Murder in the Marsh, and a middle grade novel, Junior Miles and the Junkman. He’s also the coordinator of creative writing at Salem State University in Massachusetts, where he teaches intro and upper level creative writing courses. Kevin tells me how he got his start with writing, how his MFA experience changed both his writing and the opportunities available to him, the importance of reading your work to others, and much more.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Stranger's grief sparked passion for poetry teaching.

08:53 Transitioning from poetry to fiction writing journey.

14:54 Drawing inspiration from hometown for crime novel.

21:40 Deciding not to work with an agent.

26:12 Friend's art gallery led to film business.

28:03 Close friendships and passion in documentary filmmaking.

35:28 Writers struggle to let go of perfection.

40:09 Encouraging honest feedback, experimenting, and releasing pressure.

45:38 Successful writers helping and inspiring young writers.

50:19 Diverse students in writing classes seek guidance.

58:42 MFA program: discovering joy in completing novels.

Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us how you deal with feedback.

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

It sounds so simple, but we hardly ever let ourselves be happy, especially with our work. Why is that a problem? I explain in this super short episode.

Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you let yourself be happy.

Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.

Tim Myers does a bit of everything: he’s a writer, songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University, where he teaches writing. We got together to talk about the nature of creativity, which Tim calls a “sacred mystery,” including everything from the way our childhood creativity is changed by the culture as we become adults, the necessary role of play in the creative process, the transcendent experiences of awe and wonder and how they fuel us, the wisdom of following your gut, and a whole lot more.

Episode breakdown:

01:39 Kids are instantly creative, often play traditionally.

06:50 Creativity influenced by nature, nurture, educators.

15:50 Importance of creativity in education and society.

21:22 Differences between play in childhood versus "professional" adults.

24:56 Nancy switched to teaching, advisor, and writing lit mag.

30:49 Encouraging exploration of language and creative thinking.

37:04 Parents see child, lifetime of giving love.

40:35 Zen story about finding wonder in life.

45:27 Believing in progress through challenging circumstances.

50:34 Art, festivals, play as a primal need.

56:21 Semantic split between "religion" and "spirituality."

01:01:14 Falling in love based on unique personal idiosyncrasies.

01:07:23 Experimenting with writing schedule structure.

01:13:45 Craft is in choosing words for impact.

01:19:22 Writers and feedback.

01:25:00 Tim struggles with generalist vs specialist identity.

01:26:31 Passion for storytelling and visual art emerges.

01:35:38 Weekly writing schedule reduces overthinking and focus on perfection.  

Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us how play influences your creative process.

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

Folks who consider themselves creative often have a REALLY hard time with structure, but it can be one of your best allies. I explain why in this short episode.

Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when structure helped you.

Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.

Marc Kaye calls himself a “restless creative”—a musician, writer, and comedian who loves to tell stories and make people laugh. He also, through his company, VitalConex, uses those skills to help develop the vital connections needed for focused, united teams and creative problem solving. Marc tells me how—and why—he took the leap into stand-up, how his comedy and his writing skills have influenced each other, and how he takes both of those, and his business partner’s therapy background, and creates programs to help teams create a sense of psychological safety that lets them do difficult work from a place of greater unity.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Childhood creativity shapes lifelong passion for creation.

Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when humor made something easier for you. If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and theatre.

Setting resolutions can be a recipe for disappointment—or, if you've set appropriate expectations, a recipe for success. I explain the difference in this short episode.

Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when lowered expectations made a difference.

Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.

Gary Russell has done a bit of everything in media, from acting when he was young to writing fanzines to writing for Doctor Who Magazine to working for the BBC to co-founding Big Finish Productions, which produces a variety of audio dramas for various TV series including Doctor Who, The Prisoner, Dark Shadows, and more. Gary and I talk about his journey from one opportunity to the next as a “professional fan,” including how he’s made the decision both to take and to leave various positions, why he’s always run his life on instinct, and why he thinks it’s absolutely vital to be able to admit when you don’t know what you’re doing (even when it means baptism by fire), the value of freelancing—why he wouldn’t have it any other way—and a lot more. I really think you’ll get a lot out of my conversation with Gary Russell, even if you’ve never seen an episode of Doctor Who. 

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Early desire to be a stuntman leads to acting classes/jobs.

Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us about a time when you took a leap of faith. If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in Doctor Who.

Our last replay of the year focuses on my favorite random discovery about an amazing actor. It’s short, and worth listening to again.

What can a simple choice from actor David Tennant tell us about creative freedom? I'll tell you in this short episode.

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about how you might stop taking things so seriously.

Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.

Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!

I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or say hello on BlueSky!

Happy holidays, everyone! I'm thrilled to present my second holiday replay of the year, which was easily one of my favorite interviews of 2023, if not my very favorite. It's a perfect story for the holidays, reminding us that there's room for redemption in all of us. Enjoy!

My guest today is Kate Powers, a lifelong theatre kid who became an off-Broadway and regional theatre director. Her list of credits is long, but I wanted to talk to Kate about the unusual home she’s found for her work: maximum security prisons. Kate is the founding artistic director of the Redeeming Time Project, which uses Shakespeare to effect positive change for the incarcerated and the formerly incarcerated. She has been a facilitator with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (www.rta-arts.org) at Sing Sing Correctional Facility since 2009. 

Kate tells me how she discovered this work, how she runs her program, and the transformative effect of combining Shakespeare—famous for his depictions of all facets of human nature—with a prison population. I’m not gonna lie to you—I had goosebumps for most of this interview, and I think you might, too. If you do, I hope you’ll consider donating to help these programs transform lives—you’ll find a list of links in the show notes.

Please leave a review of the show, and in it, tell us about a time when theater transformed a part of your life.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in theatre!

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It seems like the simplest, most obvious thing, but the fact is, we don't always listen. Changing that could change your life. I'll tell you more in this short episode.

Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks!

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when listening made a difference.

Join my free creative community, The Spark! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing programs for subscribers and listeners there in the coming months.