Process with Marcella Chamorro: Creativity | Mindset | Mental Health

Welcome back to another episode of Process!

This episode is a special one, to me at least. There's a lot of talk about parenting and motherhood in this one, but, even if you aren't a parent, I'm sure you'll still find tons of insight and laughs in our conversation.

Let's get to it!

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Ashlee Gadd is my guest on this episode #011 of Process! This conversation is a bit longer than most other ones ... mostly because Ashlee and I could've kept talking forever.

As a photographer and writer based in California, Ashlee has been exploring the online world of motherhood by running a collaborative blog called Coffee + Crumbs. It's a site that hosts articles that speak honestly and openly about the art of motherhood and what she calls "the good kind of heartache." Currently, Ashlee is on a journey of grow Coffee + Crumbs as much as she can, which we'll talk about in the episode.

During our conversation, we cover:

• When the idea for Coffee + Crumbs came to her
• How she taught herself photography
• Why it's important she tells her children she's "going to work"
• How she faces and conquers self-doubt
• The role of internal development in our success
• What constitutes a creative low in her life
• My "personal research" question about working on projects that don't make money (yet)
• How her faith compels her to work on her projects

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"A lot of times God can call us into different areas of serving and creativity. Not listening to that and denying those gifts and denying that opportunity to glorify Him ... I would be more worried about that than not spending two hours with my kids on a Tuesday morning."

Show notes

You can find Ashley online here:

- Her blog "Where my heart resides"

- Coffee + Crumbs, her collaborative blog on motherhood

- Twitter @ashleegadd

- Instagram @ashleegadd

Also, here are a few odds and ends we mentioned throughout the episode:

- Sarah Bessie article "In which I don’t mind if my tinies see me on the computer"

- Elise Cripe, whose work we mention

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Ashlee for joining me on this episode #011 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

xo,
Marcella

Welcome back to another episode of Process!

This is our tenth episode. Time sure does fly. I'm having so much recording all of these episodes and conversations with creators I admire. I hope you're learning from them as much as I am — because I can't get enough! If it were up to me, I think I'd be recording a new episode every single day!

For everyone reading and listening out there, it's been an honor serving you these ten episodes so far. Here's to many more!

Without further ado, let's jump into episode #010 with Justin Jackson!

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Justin Jackson rocked it on this episode (#010) of Process. I'm so excited to share this conversation with you because I had so much fun recording it. Justin calls himself a maker, probably because there's no better umbrella term for all the things he does. He writes for his blog and e-books, makes tech products like Wordpress plugins, runs membership sites, hosts various podcasts ... all while running a consulting business AND being a father to four kids.

Seriously?!

During our conversation, we cover:

• How Justin manages to do ALL THE THINGS
• How Justin "packages" himself as a brand
• Which of his activities is his very favorite — writing
• The creative constraints of parenting
• The creative low he experiences — a loss of momentum
• What gives him energy to keep creating — shipping

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"When you put something out into the world, you don't get to dictate how people respond to it. And I think that's always hard."

Show Notes

Here are links to everything we mention during the show:

- Justin's blog

-  Product People podcast

- A list of all his other projects

- MegaMaker, a new podcast project Justin is working on

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Justin Jackson for joining me on this episode #010 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Review & Subscribe on iTunes →

xo,
Marcella

Thanks for tuning in to episode #009 of Process! Are you ready for the awesomeness about to ensue?! :-)

Let's get to it.

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My guest on this episode is Jason Zook, an entrepreneur daring enough to make a living wearing t-shirts, selling his last name, and most recently selling his entire future. During our conversation, we talk about:

• How he found a way to stop doing the one thing he hates: selling
• Coming up with the price on his latest project
• Why he chose to journal his creation process (including fears and doubts) on Medium
• Who he turns to for encouragement and overcoming fear
• Who he doesn't turn to for feedback
• What a regular day is like
• A book that's helped him embrace the low moments he faces
• Why he thinks struggles and lows are super important

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"Your hurdles and unfortunate events and lows are pivotal moments that take you to success and achievement. "

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different sites and events which I'm linking to below:

- You can find Jason online here: BuyMyFuture / Jason's blog / on Twitter

- Project Galaxy 60-day journal on Medium

- Misfit Con, an awesome event in Fargo, North Dakota we've both attended (and where we met!)

- Ryan Holiday's book The Obstacle is The Way

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Jason for joining me on this episode #009 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & Review on iTunes →

xo,
Marcella

Welcome to the eighth episode of Process!

Let's get to it...

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My guest on this episode is Michelle Armas, an abstract expressionist painter whose blog and Instagram accounts are overflowing with adoring fans. As a new momma to a beautiful one-year-old daughter, Michelle has an inspiring and insightful approach to parenting and creativity.

During our conversation, we cover:

• Which of her bestselling pieces were originally "rejects", and how she turned them around
• How she turned to art (oiling painting) when she hated her job
• Where she "learned" her confidence and work ethic
• How her bootcamp-style art training prepared her for the work she does today
• What it feels like to approach a blank canvas
• What she defines as a "creative low"
• How motherhood changed her creative output

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation, where Michelle shares what she gained from attending an art school that required her to work and experiment non-stop:

"That's really how you evolve. If you don't have the mentality that you have to work at it all the time, you will never get to a place where your work resonates with that kind of of pursuit and experience, which is what art it and it's really what people are drawn to when they look at your work."

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different things I link to below:

- You can find Michelle here: Michelle's website / @michellearmas007 on Instagram

- Popular piece we reference which was rejected by a client (and now it's hanging in my living room!): That Bowtie I Like

- Another popular piece Michelle references which evolved from a painting she disliked and ended up painting over until it looked like this: Secret Garden

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Michelle for joining me on this episode #008 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & Review on iTunes →

Oh, and just a head's up... Stay tuned for next Friday's episode. I'll be speaking with Jason Zook on his brand new currently under-wraps project!

xo,
Marcella

Welcome to the seventh episode of Process!

Let's get to it...

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My guest on this episode is Ryan Allis, a technology entrepreneur that sold his first company, iContact, for $170 million before turning 28! 

Nowadays, Ryan is the founder of Connect, an app that helps you get together with friends, and Hive, a global network of leaders and entrepreneurs who are creating a better world. As you can imagine, community is important to Ryan, and we'll get to that in this episode. More importantly, though, we dive deep into what makes entrepreneurship sustainable.

During our conversation, we cover:

• Becoming an entrepreneur before even becoming a teenager
• What it looks like to help run 2 companies and attend business school at the same time
• The two important elements he looks for in a project
• Why email is "the biggest tyranny"
• The wellness habits that have transformed his mind and body
• How caffeine is destroying your energy levels—and how to quit

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"In entrepreneurship, calmness and slight patience—take the action to make something happen and then wait a few hours—is so important to not blowing up and allowing yourself to get through the day calmly."

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different sites and events which I'm linking to below:

- You can find Ryan and his projects here: @ryanallis on Twitter / Connect.com / Hive

- Ryan's blog post about the programs he's attended

- The Resources page where you can find Ryan's presentation "Lessons from my 20s" and more

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Ryan for joining me on this episode #007 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & review on iTunes →

And stay tuned next Friday for an episode of Process with my favorite artist!

xo,
Marcella

I'm back with the latest episode of Process, this time with a great friend of mine: Adii Pienaar!

I'm honored that Adii shared all this amazingness with me. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed recording it!

Let's get to it...

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My guest on this episode is Adii Pienaar, founder of Receiptful and WooThemes. This conversation happened across the globe, from my desk in Nicaragua to Adii's in South Africa. The result is a raw, honest, and insightful talk that left me energized for the rest of the day! During our conversation, we cover:

• Dealing with foreboding joy when a business is going well
• What determines who rises after a fall?
• How many different identities we all juggle, especially as parents
• How spending time in nature and with our hobbies helps restore our energy reserves
• The role ego plays in our burnout
• How he makes working remote (and at home) effective
• Hiring to avoid connection and burnout
• The different experience as a 2nd or 3rd time founder—and what he's learned
• How he's learned to deal with the inevitable hiccups that happen

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"Shame dies with exposure."

Oh, and here's another! But you'll have to listen to the full episode to get the joke. :-)

"I'm most excited about being the chair!"

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different sites and events which I'm linking to below:

- You can find Adii and his projects here: @adii on Twitter / Receiptful site

- Adii's favorite quote that he mentions in the episode:

"Everything I've done up to today has set me up for success and happiness. Everything I do today will leverage that and continue this journey."

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Adii for joining me on this episode #006 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & leave a review on iTunes →

xo,
Marcella

PS. I'll be releasing the next episode of Process next Friday. Stay tuned. :-)

Welcome back to another episode of Process!

This is episode #5 of our podcast, and I'm so excited to share it with you. There are a few reasons why this episode is special:

1. My guest is Aldo Aguirre, a new friend of mine and someone I love talking to.
2. Aldo is not currently an entrepreneur. Everyone I've talked to up to this point has been an entrepreneur, but Aldo is doing his creative thang from with an organization.

Before I reveal any more, let's get to it...

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Like I mentioned, my guest on this episode is Aldo Aguirre. He's the LATAM Director of Techstars Community Programs. If you haven't heard of Techstars (or Startup Weekend), Aldo will tell us all about how why it's an awesome place to work—and how he exercises his creativity within the organization, as an "intrapreneur".   During our conversation, we cover:

• Being creative and not realizing it
• Is being funny the same as being creative?
• Creativity as a means to an end
• Teaching vs. serving vs. selfish goals
• Intentionality and setting expectations

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"Whenever I had something that I really struggled with, it was either because I didn't set expectations ... or because I wasn't intentional about creating value."

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different sites and events, including:

- You can find Aldo and Techstars here: Aldo's blog / Aldo on Twitter / Aldo on Instagram / Techstars website

- As promised, the gif Aldo emailed me when I told him about the podcast:

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Aldo for joining me on this episode #005 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode of Process, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES →

xo,
Marcella

PS. Stay tuned for next week's episode with Adii Pienaar of Receiptful (and formerly WooThemes). That conversation blew my socks off, and I can't wait for you to hear it!

Welcome back to another episode of Process. :-) 

I hope you enjoyed the first 3 episodes I released on Tuesday (our launch day!), and now we begin our regularly scheduled episodes. I'll be releasing a new episode every Friday. Today is our first Friday!

Let's get to it...

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My guest on this episode is Angela Mader, founder of fitlosophy and creator of the popular fitness journal fitbook. What a conversation this was! I feel like we could've kept recording for hours. Maybe there will be a second episode in the future? :-) During our conversation, we cover:

• Creating something completely different from what people expect
• Struggling to balance creative and administrative tasks
• Learning to work in a way that's best for her own style and personality
• Why starting over on social media with new accounts and zero followers is a good thing
• The real result she's looking for in her customers
• What she's really passionate about right now

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"I am more than just fitbook."

Oh, and here's another!

"I learned to be an entrepreneur on someone else's dime."

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different sites and events which I'm linking to below:

- You can find Angela and her creations here: fitlosophy / aisforangelam.com / @aisforangelam on Instagram

- An image of the fitspiration journal now at Target

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Angela for joining me on this episode #004 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & leave a review on iTunes →

xo,
Marcella

PS. I'll be releasing the next episode of Process next Friday. Stay tuned. :-)

Thanks for listening to the third episode of Process! This is our launch day, and this is the third and last episode I'll be releasing today. The next one is coming up on Friday!

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My guest on this episode is David Cain. Through his blog, Raptitude, David reaches readers on the topics of mindfulness, his personal experiments in improving his life, and more. During our conversation, we cover:

• How un-zen his creative process can be at times
• His creative schedule, in depth
• An accidental negative visualization he experiences, which leads to happier results
• Batching tasks he doesn't enjoy
• The importance of having a "business mind" to allow for more creative time
• Balancing serving others versus serving himself

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation:

"You can't disaster-proof everything, but you can read as much as you can and be as prepared as you can be."

Totally agree!

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different sites and events which I'm linking to below:

- You can find David and his writing here: raptitude.com / his books

- An excerpt from David's article in New Escapologist

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to David Cain for joining me on this episode #003 of Process. :-)

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & leave a review on iTunes →

xo,
Marcella

PS. Next episode coming on Friday! Stay tuned...

Thanks for listening to the second episode of Process! Today's our launch day, and I'm so excited you're listening to the show. I'm also very grateful for your support. :-)

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My guest on this episode is Sean Ogle. As a location independent entrepreneur, Sean has worked on creating his ideal lifestyle over the past 6 years. During our conversation, we cover:

• The struggles of being a solopreneur
• Breaking down traditional work practices to build his ideal lifestyle
• What to do when money is no longer your primary motivator
• Making time for his hobby (golf!) during the workweek without ignoring his business
• The main piece of advice he wishes he would've known when he started out

Here's my favorite quote from our talk:

"The worst case scenario isn't as bad as you think and the chances of it happening are not very likely." — Sean Ogle

Show notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different sites and events which I'm linking to below:

- You can find Sean and his businesses here: Location 180 / Location Rebel / Breaking Eighty

- World Domination Summit

- TropicalMBA

- Why you should stop working at noon everyday

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Sean for joining me on this episode #002 of Process.

If you enjoyed this episode and Process as a whole, I'd love if you could leave a review on iTunes! Just click the button below:

Subscribe & leave a review on iTunes →

xo,
Marcella

PS. I've got a third episode lined up! Listen to it here →