Stepping Off Now: Support for Neurodivergent Creatives

Sorry for the lateness of this episode, I'm dealing with some very noisy construction at my house that is interfering with my recording schedule. In this episode I provide a brief update on my novel polishing and throw out some thoughts I have on what artistic voice is and how to develop it.

What happens when someone who hates deadlines decides to try one out? Listen to hear all about my recent experience of setting a deadline for myself to finish my novel. Spoiler: I hit it! In this episode I talk about why I'm usually against deadlines, when they are useful, how to know if you are ready to take the next step in your project and set a big one for yourself, and how to set endogenous deadlines that serve YOU, rather than exogenous ones that serve the gods of toxic productivity.

Why is it that after all the work you've put into your creative project you hit your biggest resistance when you can finally see the finish line? This is what happened to me this summer when I was trying to finish my novel (which will be done next week!!!). Turns out this is totally normal, and in this episode I talk about why this happens and how to move through it.

This episode marks a return to my regular programming after taking the summer to work through the above-mentioned resistance. If you want the full story as it happened (cause I'm all about sharing the process), listen to the update episode I released over the summer months!

Here is the talk with Matthew Bellringer that I mentioned.

This is my final update on this strange summer that was full of change, growth, and pure panic, if I'm honest! I'll be returning to my regular type of programming in a couple weeks, and in this episode I give you a taste of the episodes topics I'm planning. They are all based on my experiences this summer tackling draft 10 of my novel, The Gentle History: new challenges, lessons learned, and wisdom gained.

I finally have some excellent news to share! I've had a creative breakthrough on my novel and am on track to finish it by mid-September. In this episode I share what led to the breakthrough, what it feels like, and my tentative plans for when I'm done.

This is a grab bag of an episode in which I tell a long and rambling story about what getting my house tented for drywood termites has to do with the Empire State Building, share my thoughts on what I've learned about creative process as I've worked through my writer's block, give two examples of how I've humbled myself to art recently, and declare a new creative identity for myself.

Here is the episode of the podcast Bewildered I mention.

In which I talk about how I'm working through my current writer's block and the importance of surrendering to the ebb and flow of creativity.

Here is the newsletter by Nick Cave that I discuss in this episode.

In which I discuss some recent developments in my life and the steps I am taking to deal with the circumstances.

Many creatives and artists have a bit of the lone wolf in them. But generally speaking, being a lone wolf is looked down on in society. In this episode I mount a defense of this personality type and discuss some of the things that make lone wolves awesome human beings worthy of understanding, love, and admiration.

What do you do when you lose steam with your creative projects or practice? Nothing will block you faster than feeling bored with your work. When your inspiration and motivation go missing, though, there are some simple remedies that can get you back on track. In this episode I discuss the three levels of creative boredom, how to recognize them, and what to do when they happen.