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

Every year at the holidays, I feature one of my favorite episodes from the past year. I hope you find encouragement in my conversation with John Noltner of A Peace of My Mind.

My guest today is John Noltner, a writer and photographer whose project, A Peace of My Mind, has produced three books, the latest of which is Portraits of Peace: Searching for Hope in a Divided America. John’s freelance photography career took him all over the world for a variety of national magazines, but the 2008 recession, along with his increasing awareness of the growing divide in American society, called him to explore both the breadth of human experience and the things that we have in common but tend to lose track of thanks to the relentless news cycle. I think John will leave you feeling much more hopeful about our world, and how you might do your part to bring us closer. 

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you connected with a stranger.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!

Get stuff DONE at my free Creative Check-In/Parallel Universe Time session. Register here.

It's absolutely critical for all of us to find our people—especially the people who share and understand our creative calling. In this short-but-sweet episode, I'll tell you why.

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.

Lowry Olafson knew from a young age that he wanted to be a musician, and like so many other aspiring musicians, had to figure out how to make it work—and he did: he has released nine albums and performed around the world. He is also the founder and creator of PowerSongs—deeply meaningful, personal songs for a wide range of individuals and groups—and PowerSongs Pro, for businesses and other organizations. Lowry talks with me about the moment that changed his perspective on his musical prospects, immersing himself in the musical scene in Perth, Australia, how he developed the idea of PowerSongs, how he’s created them for individuals and school groups, and just why they make such a lasting impression on his clients.

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when music inspired you to do something new. 

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

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. 

I've been under the weather, so here's a pep talk from last year: a simple tool that can make your life SO much better. ASK. Yup, that's it. It's simple, but not always easy — but the benefits are totally worth it. I'm sharing how it's helped me and why you should step out of your comfort zone to ask more often, too.

I'll be back next time with something new! :)

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.

As always, at the holidays, I feature one of my favorite episodes from the past year. For Thanksgiving, I'm highlighting my conversation with Jon Davey, who shared his unique perspective on finding your own way when you don't seem to fit into the mold of "normal." Enjoy!

Actor, photographer, and filmmaker Jon Davey has appeared in more than 50 episodes of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005, particularly as a variety of monsters including Cybermen, Daleks, Ood, and Judoon. He’s also done behind-the-camera work on a variety of projects, including quite a few music videos for Radiohead. He joins me to talk about how he came to those roles, as well as what it’s like to meet fans at a convention when you grew up as a fan yourself, how growing up with learning issues including dyslexia equipped him for an unconventional career, and the value of questioning your assumptions about yourself and what “normal” means to you. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you had to find your own path.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!

Last week, Dr. Kelly Flanagan and I talked about getting back to what's wild in us. Here's how doing that can help your creative process (and your whole life).

Please leave a review for this episode, and in it, tell us about a time when you let your wild come out to play. 

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

So how do you keep yourself "doing it anyway"? It helps to talk back to the naysaying voices in your head. It helps even more if you know what you're going to say in advance.

Please leave a review for this episode, and in it, tell us what your favorite comeback is. 

If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.

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

Not quite two years ago, writer John Roedel, author of the Hey God, Hey John poems that have gone viral online (and the collection of the same name) joined me to talk about how he ended up “talking to God” and what he’s learned from that experience. (If you haven’t heard it, you’ll want to check it out.) I asked John to come back and tell us how he’s shifted into helping people discover their true selves and write authentically from the heart.

John and I talk about everything from the way improv has influenced that decision to what happens when we connect from our authentic selves and the stories that made us. We also delved a little into how that kind of small, empathetic, interpersonal connection might help to mitigate our current societal malaise.

Please leave a review, and in it, tell us about a time when you got vulnerable and communicated from the heart. 

If you're working on a writing project, for NaNoWriMo or not, you're invited to join me for the NaNoWriMo Power Hour on November 13th! Get some writing done with fellow writers right when you're most likely to hit a motivational slump, so you can keep your momentum going.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. And if you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you!

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing! And you can find John's first appearance on the podcast here.

Is whatever's holding you back from your creative call really enough reason to give up? Not likely. Here's why you really should do it anyway.

Ben Folds agrees with me: take a listen.

What are the six biggest creative beliefs that are screwing up your process? Find out here!

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

My guest this week is Tom Colgan, editorial director at Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Tom has spent more than 35 years championing such authors as Tom Clancy, Mark Graeney, and Janet Evanovich. We talk about how he got his start as an editor, what editors do and don’t do (you may be surprised!), how the creative process is different for everyone, and why, despite coming up with many ideas for books, he doesn’t dream of writing one. He also has some advice for aspiring authors.

I would love for you to leave a review for the show, and in it, tell us about your relationship with books and writing.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube.

If you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, you owe it to yourself to get my free 6 Creative Beliefs That Are Screwing You Up series—it’ll slice through those myths to help get you back on track!

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