Stumbling Toward Genius

There are so many kinds of things we can write - the possibilities are endless. What about being known for a certain kind of writing but harboring a desire to write something completely different? I know that feeling and when I spoke with Jonathan Fields about his new book, Sparked, he revealed that there's a whole other category of books that are tugging at his sleeve.

But it turns out that's not such a left turn for him. His new body of work, Sparketypes Assessment, offers a way for people to finally get validation about the kind of work that lights them up. Jonathan and I share the same primary sparketype, so it was fun to riff on how we both bring our gifts to life. I learned something new about how to frame all the different things I do.

If you are the kind of person who loves conversations about the writing process and what brings our spirits alive, you'll love this interview.

• Effort isn't always drudgery in the creative process - it can be surprisingly satisfying
• How knowing what isn't in your creative DNA is as valuable as knowing what is
• How having a clear intention while writing a book can be a guidepost you might keep private
• Expanding the definition of work

Have you ever noticed that the reasons we do or don't do things have different qualities? We feel some of our reasons in our gut. Other reasons flutter around our heart. For example:

You may want to write your book, but your reasons or excuses look something like this:

I don't have time right now.

I'm unsure that my book idea is a good one.

I don't know where to start; I have so many ideas I can't figure out a path to get going.

If you are on the sidelines of a project now, take a second to jot down the reasons you aren't actively engaged in it. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Now, look over your reasons. See which ones feel 'true'. Taking the first one, you could say, yes, I truly don't have time now. I am a caregiver for my parents, my child just moved back home, and I am holding down a full-time job. (Your circumstances don't have to look anything like these to be true.)

Notice the second reason. Uncertainty about the validity of our projects is absolutely part of the creative process. But it doesn't have to be a show-stopper.

I try to 'get real' about why I'm not doing the things I say matter to me. I believe that when we don't honor our creative impulses, our gifts and ideas weigh heavy on us. Carrying all those possibilities around is like being Santa, holding a giant bag of gifts but never giving them away. I know I feel the impact of living my unexpressed dreams. Honestly, this is the main reason I coach creatives - to help us all live and give the gifts we've been given.

I get real and honest in this new episode of Stumbling Toward Genius. I want you to know that we can survive the honest assessments of why we avoid our creative work. And that taking an honest look only makes you stronger.

In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, you'll hear

• the real reason I stopped recording podcast episodes
• the fake reasons I stopped the podcast
• what made me bring it back
• and more.

Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts or click here to see the episode web page.

We have more resources than ever to bring our creative ideas to life. Yet we still get stuck and often abandon our dreams for our books, art, or businesses. Maybe it's not because you are incompetent or not talented enough. What if the creative process just inherently has hurdles that we all have to overcome? What if those obstacles are gifts for you instead of signs to quit?

Welcome to Stumbling Toward Genius. I'm your host Cynthia Morris. I'm a coach, speaker, author and artist. The things I have made have all helped me grow to be the person I'm here to be. In Stumbling Toward Genius, you'll hear my conversations with creatives about what helped them make things that matter. They'll share their stumbles and how they learned to keep the light shining on their creative dreams.

Welcome to the ranks of people who are not letting the daunting work of making things stifle their genius. Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts.

Most of our projects have many moving pieces. Trying to organize our ideas so we can bring them to life is almost always a challenge.

In this coaching episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, listen in while I coach Antonia on how to bring more organization to her passion project.

You'll hear us:

• • Look at a simple way to gather ideas
  • Identify what's important about the project
  • Consider possibilities to get feedback over the long term
  • And more.

In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, you'll get to listen in on a coaching session with Erin, a lifelong writer who has lost her enthusiasm for writing.

You'll hear us:

• Dispel the myth of when writing needs to happen
• Questions to ask yourself to revitalize your writing joy
• What makes it easier to get back into a writing practice
• A simple exercise to get to the heart of what you want to write
• And more.

Have you ever wondered what doing a project for 100 days would be like? If you're feeling creatively stuck, a daily challenge could be a great way to revive your creative pulse.

In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, Cynthia shares her experience with daily projects. Cynthia:

• shares her spectacular failures and surprising wins
• suggests ways to design a daily project that suits you
• invites you to the best writing party of the summer.

Listen in and get inspired to do your own daily creative practice.

Stuck at home, we may feel an urge to do some writing on a project. But it's hard to focus with so many distractions. Cynthia shares some suggestions for designing an at-home writing retreat that feels great for you. In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, Cynthia:

• Busts the time myth: It's not how long it is, it's how much you can focus
• Offers before, during and after guidelines
• Shares a simple tool for diving into the writing.

Plan your own writing retreat easily to finally focus on your writing.

In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, you'll hear why I revived the podcast and changed the format. You'll get actionable insights into how to focus when focus feels impossible. Including:

• What you might need to add to your process
• A contrarian view on setting expectations
• A couple of ways I make focus easier now
• Creative Competency: build up your focus from zero.

In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, you'll hear the story of a book I wrote that changed a persistent narrative I'd been telling myself. You'll hear about:

• A lifetime obsession of mine - and how I felt ashamed of this passion
• The project that reversed this shame
• The gifts that I got from this project
• Creative Competency: stay with it to receive the gifts waiting at the finish line.

In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, you'll hear the story of how I went all the way to Seattle for an urban sketching workshop and how bad I sucked. And, how I coped with that.

In this episode:

• How a new workshop triggered an old incompetency
• How my intention saved me and allowed me to enjoy rather than deflate
• Creative competency: Being willing to suck