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

My guest today is Father Michael Rossmann, Jesuit priest and creator of a video series offering perspectives and advice on life, many of which focus on creativity and aspects of the creative process. It’s easy to discount or just not even notice the spiritual side of creativity, but it’s there all the same. We talk about how he came to his interest in and advocacy for creative work, the pitfalls of perfectionism and the power of creative constraints, how creativity connects us to the divine (whatever you may conceive the divine to be), and the personal and spiritual benefits of creative practice. 

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!

We all want to be happy—and we usually want others to be, too. That second bit can get us in trouble, and we tend to ignore the first. So what do we do about it? Here's my suggestion.

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

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, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.

When I think of someone who is unstoppably creative, I think of Leonie Dawson, who is my guest today. As you’ll hear, Leonie is an artist, writer, and inveterate experimenter who build a 7-figure business by trying as many things as possible to see what she loved the most, and runs on the philosophy that whoever’s having the most fun wins. We talk about everything from how she encourages creativity with her kids to her decision to leave social media to the fact that it really is okay to decide not only who you want to work with, but who you don’t—and a whole lot more. This is a wide-ranging conversation that offers a lot to chew on for any creative soul or entrepreneur.

**There’s some strong language in this episode.

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!

Appreciation is one of the more powerful tools in the creativity toolbox, and it helps in the rest of life, too! Hear why you should give it a try, and join me in an annual appreciation exercise that's guaranteed to lift your spirits and those of everyone you care about.

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

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, or Twitter! 

As always, at the holidays I share a favorite episode from the year. I hope you enjoy revisiting this episode!

The idea of "talking to God" may bring up images of saints or prophets—or a disconnect from reality. John Roedel fits in none of those categories. He's an improv comedian and poet who started writing conversations between himself and God as silly one-offs during a crisis of faith, only to find them becoming deeper and more insightful over time. One of his pieces from a few years ago went viral in the spring of 2020, to his great surprise, when the newly quarantined public found itself reflected in his words. John and I talk about being the family oddball, the perks and perils of "talking" with God (including readers' expectations), living your life according to "Yes, and..." and even enact that viral post for you.

Check out the show notes (including John's "Ten Seconds" video) at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

A bonus holiday pep talk, short and sweet: It's okay to rest! In fact, I highly encourage it. And I'm telling you why in under three minutes.

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

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, or Twitter!

How often do you say, "I don't know?" And what happens when you do? None of us knows everything, but we all know more than we think we do, so let's look at what happens when we say these three words.

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

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, or Twitter, or TikTok.

Tara Thieleke’s art roots go back to her childhood, where two of her art teachers planted the seeds not only of the importance of art, but also of what kind of person she wanted to be. She’s been actively making and sharing art ever since, even though her path to school teaching took a few detours.

Tara tells us about those two teachers, what she’s learned from her students, how she applies improv’s “Yes, and…” mantra to her teaching and her life, and more.

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

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. 

Last week, I encouraged you to ask for the things you want, because it makes such a huge difference in the quality of your life and the experiences that are open to you. This week, I'm talking about the courage it takes to do that, because it sure can be daunting. Embarking on any creative pursuit takes immense courage, and pretending otherwise does no one any good.

The Colbert clip with Stephen Sondheim

Putting It Together from Sunday in the Park with George

Want more help with your creative process? Check out my Creative Tune-Up, which is full of my favorite coaching tools to help you get unstuck TODAY. 

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, or Twitter! I also post pretty regularly on TikTok.

Oh, look! I decided to do a holiday replay anyway. ;) 

Eddie Louise, writer of the Sage and Savant audio drama podcast, has lived one of the most fascinating creative journeys I’ve ever heard. She has followed her curiosity from the libraries of Wyoming to undergraduate studies in Edinburgh and back to California, and absolutely none of it has happened in the way anyone is told a life story is “supposed” to unfold.

We talk about her first adventures with Shakespeare, the unexpected detour in high school, how she got to Edinburgh, and, of course, the genesis of Sage and Savant. There’s a lot here about daring to take chances and step out of the cave our society tends to want to tell us is the only safe place to be.

If you're feeling stuck in your own creative process, I made the Creative Tune-Up just for you. It'll help you get moving again quickly, and it's fun!

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.