We may not care to be famous or even desire to make art as a full time vocation, but we each carry a need for our work to matter.  We want to know that what means something to us may also mean something to others or that what we give our time, attention and resources to may serve to beautify or to better the lives of those around us.

In this episode, I discuss what it means to make a significant contribution through our creative work. I invite the listener to reframe the narratives we believe about ourselves and our art. 

What if our art isn’t about us? What if we learned to care less about what we have to lose and more about what we have to give?

In my work as a creative coach, I’ve encountered many artists who trip over concerns about self-promotion or what others may think about their intentions. But what if rather than being concerned over self-promotion or of having selfish motivations, we were more concerned over the loss of not offering the world our creative gifts?

 This episode explores these concerns and offers a new way of seeing our relationship to our art.

ORDER STEPHEN’S NEW BOOK: NAMING THE ANIMALS

JOIN OUR CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

Music in this episode provide by Glassea and C’est Lis

Support The Podcast. Become a monthly Patron

Send us a text

Support the show

• Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.