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

Author Matt Leyshon spends his days as a software engineer before morphing into a fervent writer at night. He’s best known for his writing and research for his debut novel, Jack the Ripper: Live and Uncut, which has received the Jack the Ripper: Book of the Year award for fiction from the Ripperology community. He has also appeared as a Jack the Ripper expert at MegaCon and on the History Channel.

Matt joins me to talk about why that book was self-published for only six months, his foray into writing a thriller in a fantasy setting, the importance of encouragement in the creative process, why creative folks should always be bold and take chances to promote their own work, and more.

Please leave a review and in it, tell us what helps you believe in yourself.

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

Building on last week's conversation with Nina Hart about Keith Johnstone's book, "Impro," here's why putting on a persona can be a valuable part of your creative process.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes.

Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon!

My friend and fellow Kaizen-Muse creativity coach, Nina Hart, was one of my first guests, and she comes back to the podcast today. Nina is an author and performer—including being an original member of San Francisco’s experimental dance troupe, Contraband, and, playing a purple electric bass, recording and performing with numerous bands—and I invited her to dig into Keith Johnstone’s groundbreaking book on theatrical improvisation, Impro, with me.

I knew Nina would have a lot to say about how we unknowingly are our own biggest obstacles to our own creativity, which is a primary focus of the book. We talk about the role status plays in our lives and our perception of things like permission and perfection, how cultural and societal expectations create the fears that hold us back, the importance of feeling safe to let those fears go, and much more.

Please leave a review and in it, tell us when you feel most safe to express yourself.

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news, Spoutible, and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

It's the 50th pep talk! And it's time to give ourselves credit. Why? And How? I'll tell you in this short episode.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes.

Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news and Mastodon! And I'm now on Spoutible—come say hi!

Jodi Krangle is a Toronto-based voice actor who works with major brands all over the world including Dell, BBVA, HGTV, Nespresso & Kraft. She's been heard in thousands of your favorite commercials and websites, so odds are very good that you’ve already heard her voice. She also hosts the Audio Branding podcast, which delves into how to make an impact with sound, and how sound influences us. We talk about her journey to voice acting, the reality of voice acting versus our perception of it, and some ways sound can alter perception that will probably surprise you. Jodi also has some advice for anyone who’s considering a career in voice acting.

Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when incidents from your own life have turned up in your creative work!

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

Our concept of "normal" can be one of the biggest creative obstacles we face (and the same is often true outside the creative process). And in one particular case, it's just plain wrong anyway. I'll tell you why in this short episode.

The link I promised: Writing Begins with Forgiveness.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes.

Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news and Mastodon!

My guest today is Michael Hearns, a veteran law enforcement officer whose experience includes working undercover with Miami’s vice, intelligence, and narcotics unit—yes, like Miami Vice—and has also worked as a technical consultant on a variety of movies and tv shows. These days, Michael is the author of the Cade Taylor police thrillers, including Trust No One. We talk about his law enforcement career, how realistic police shows (including Miami Vice) actually are, and his dedication to authenticity in his novels. We also take on the realities of the creative life vs. its portrayal on screen, and why it’s worth answering your creative call anyway. 

Please leave a review and in it, tell us about a time when incidents from your own life have turned up in your creative work!

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

We all know resolutions don't work, or at best, don't work for long. So what does? I'll tell you in this short episode.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes

Get the 6 Creative Beliefs that Are Screwing You Up, plus biweekly updates on what's going on in my world (including upcoming events) for free!

I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Post.news and Mastodon!

Award-winning poet, performer, playwright, and educator Maria James-Thiaw has published several books of poetry and founded the Reclaim Artist Collective, which seeks to to raise consciousness about social justice issues impacting marginalized communities through its arts-based, anti-racist curriculum. Her latest collection, Count Each Breath, examines her experiences as a Black woman in the American healthcare system.

Maria joins me today to have the conversation we floated when she first came on the show in 2019, about the intersection of art and politics. Is it even possible to disconnect them? We tackle this question, as well as the political implications of the focus on STEM education, what happens when we relegate the arts to an afterthought, and how driven creative folks find ways to earn money from their art or artistic skills.

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Post.news and Mastodon! And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!

Who's your best creative rival? The answer might be closer than you think.

Inspired by Simon Sinek's video called "Worthy Rivals."

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my Creative Pep Talk episodes

I'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and experience with these ideas! Send me a note at fycuriosity.com, or contact me on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter, or TikTok.