Spark Your Inner Fire for Creatives

Using Creative Criticism In Your Benefit

Who gets to tell you if your work is good enough? What gives someone the right to judge if a piece of art is deemed worthy or not? Art is subjective to the viewer, and can muddle the waters for the view the creator takes on his/her creations. 

In this episode:

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”- Aristotle

Analysis paralysis has been following me around for a long time, I never really understood how much making minor decisions affected my success in all areas of life. The power to make a decision quickly without the need for approval is an important skill to practice and if our you're like me, you weren't born with it. 

In this episode:

"Do not plant your dreams in a field of indecision, where nothing ever grows but the weeds of 'what if'." -Dodinsky

What kind of creative would you consider yourself to be? A cluttered one who swears that the clutter helps your creativity? Or the tidy creative who feels most productive when your environment is clean? I've definitely been both extremes!

In this episode:

“The only thing that holds you back from living the life of your dream is the emotional and physical clutter you are holding unto.”

You know the feeling of the possibility and inevitability of not being able to perform some day? Or maybe for you its the possibility of getting fired or losing someone. What would you do? 

In this episode:

As artists sometimes we lose sight of our resilience. We wake up to work when no one is watching, we dance through the pain, our capacity to show up when it hurts, to willingly attend opportunities that we’ll be rejected day in and day out, we keep going in spite of failure. 

In this episode: 

Resistance likes to rub elbows with perfectionism, imposter syndrome, fear, and it's cousin, procrastination. Resistance rears its ugly head just when the project at hand is about to hit the finish line. Heck, I had this entire episode outlined and right before I was about to record, resistance wanted me to take a nap. Lol yea, I get it. 

In this episode:

"Courage is the resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear." -Mark Twain

Production shows can demand strict standards for how a dancers body looks. This can also cause problems later on when dancers are no longer in the productions show, causing the standards to spill into other aspects of our lives... even when it comes to setting goals. Never feeling "enough." Regardless if you're a dancer/performer or not, you likely have goals that you weren't able to follow through as much as you would have liked. I've identified some key aspects that get in the way of reaching our goals, and how to set your goals up for success. 

In this episode:

"The lens we look through determines what we see." -Renee Swope

I brought my husband, James Pfeiffer, on to share some principles he's found to be helpful on the topic of fear. He shares some relatable stories and tips he does in his day-to-day to prevent the grip of fear from ruling his decisions and life.  

In this episode: 

“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” -Marcus Aurelius 

"Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice." -Will Smith

The beginning stages of creation and imagination are fragile. Brand new ideas haven't had a chance to take root which is why it's so important to know where logic plays a role in that delicate time. 

In this episode: 

"Logic will get you from A to Z. Imagination will take you everywhere." -Albert Einstein 

"We are afraid of ideas, of experimenting, of change. We shrink from thinking a problem through to a logical conclusion." -Anne Sullivan

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Keeping that open mind of learning and growth through each current path can accidentally open up intrigue into new possibilities, setting you on a new path or purpose. Today's episode is a creative discussion with Chris Ruggiero! 

Chris is a content creator with a diverse background onstage, on camera, and behind the scenes. His "One Man Variety Show" was a juggling and magic variety show that toured colleges, corporate events and private events around the world. He's set 2 Guinness World Records and has had appearances on tv shows like Ellen, Late Late Show with James Corden, Martha Stewart and more. He currently focuses primarily on creating audio and video online content for his own projects and for clients. The Between Dreams Podcast which Chris hosts, chats with inspiring creators to give listeners the tools and inspiration to get started on their idea.

In this episode we discuss:

“Just start. Don’t wait for perfection. Just start and let the work teach you.” Jacqueline Novogratz

"Just start. You will learn so many lessons just by doing." Richard Branson