Stepping Off Now: Support for Neurodivergent Creatives

Why does the magic disappear from our lives as we grow up and mature, and how can we get it back? In this episode I contemplate what we mean when we talk about magic, why as adults it is required that we find a way to allow it back into our lives, and how we can do that. I also discuss the links between magic and creativity, and why it's especially important for us creatives and artists to believe in magic.

Here are some episodes I've done on creativity and happiness + the one on irrationality:

E8. We Have a Society Addiction to Goal-Setting and It's Draining Our Joy

E59. How I Manage My Depression Through Creative Practice

E91. How and Why Does Creativity Make Us Happy?

E44. The Uses of Irrationality. Or, What Listening to Your Feelings Really Looks Like

For my birthday weekend I decided to re-release one of my favorite previous episodes as a way of giving myself both a break and boost! This episode was previously released in March 2022 (E66). I'll be back next week!

My Instagram (Grandma's xmas 1990 note)

When You Don't Have the Privilege of Mental Health (blog post)

How do we know when we've finished a creative project? Sometimes we know because we have deadlines or explicit, concrete goals to work toward, but what about long-term and fairly open-ended projects like novels, where it is up to us and us alone to judge whether it's done? Especially if we have any perfectionist tendencies, we may feel confused about what indicators tell us a project is ready to put out into the world. In this episode I discuss a way of understanding done that is based on your own internal experience of the life cycle of a project. This new perspective on done can help you leave behind the anxiety you feel around interpreting external criteria of done, and releasing a project into the world.

Creative breakthroughs can't be ordered up like a menu item, but there are things you can do to facilitate them. I discuss one such method in this episode.

Recently a number of comeback stories have emerged from Hollywood, and in this episode I talk about four that have resonated with me: Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Coolidge, Ke Huy Quan, and Brendan Fraser. Each one of these actors has struggled over decades with various setbacks, and has emerged victoriously in this year's awards season. Their stories are inspirational, and I take heart from their journeys. Living the creative life is about playing the long game, and these four show us what that looks like.

Sources I used for this episode:

Stylist on Michelle Yeoh

Vulture on Jennifer Coolidge

Vanity Fair on Ke Huy Quan

Entertainment Tonight on Brendan Fraser

In this episode I discuss how to deal with a motivation killer that can take you by surprise, because it's not one we are told we need to expect or be wary of. There's little to no information about it online, and I really had to dig deep to figure out how to handle it in my own life. What is this sneak-attack motivation killer? You'll have to listen to find out! 

Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try to find clarity around your art and what you're trying to convey with it, you're always stuck in the weeds? I certainly do. Even after years of writing and revising my novel, I often feel no clearer about what I'm trying to write than I was at the beginning (well, maybe I feel a little clearer!). In this episode I have a conversation with an inspiring video by industrial designer John Mauriello about the "black puzzle" of creative work. I discuss how to deal with the inherent ambiguity and uncertainty of the creative process, and why those things are a feature, not a bug, of the creative process.

John Mauriello's video on why society hates creative people

Have you ever noticed that you get anxious when things are going well? It feels like we're always waiting for that inevitable downswing. Creativity, motivation, and inspiration come in cycles, and high and low times follow on each other. In this episode I address why creatives and artists struggle so much with the roller coaster nature of creative work, and share some tips that can help us appreciate both the highs and lows. The major takeaway? We need to learn how to detach value from excellence. Sound interesting? Listen to learn more!

In December I release some of my previously recorded Patreon bonus episodes as a treat for myself and my listeners. In this one I take a look at the updates to Elaine Aron's theory about HSPs (highly sensitive people) included in the 2020 re-release of her 1990s classic The Highly Sensitive Person, including new research on HSPs. I then discuss the similarities and differences between Aron's theory and Dabrowski's on the five types of OEs (overexcitabilities), and why I prefer Dabrowski's take on high sensitivity. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Stressed out or feeling lonely this holiday season? Angsty about yet another year gone and little progress to show for it? I have some thoughts to share on these common end-of-the-year feelings, and share some the wisdom from Nick Cave and Taylor Swift.

Nick Cave's newsletter

Switched On Pop's episode on Taylor Swift's new album