What happens when an artist stops waiting for opportunity and starts building it?

Xavier Jackson is the founder and CEO of Local Art Plug, a platform connecting artists, art lovers, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and communities through events, education, promotion, and creative consulting.

In this conversation with Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons, Xavier discusses the barriers emerging artists face, why creative work needs professional infrastructure, and how artists can build sustainable careers without losing their creative purpose. He shares practical insight about pricing, visibility, portfolios, networking, accessibility, community, and the value of showing your work consistently.

The episode also explores how Local Art Plug is helping connect Omaha’s creative neighborhoods while creating opportunities for artists locally and beyond Nebraska.

Follow us on Instagram @TheCreativeLifePodcastOmaha

Explore Local Art Plug at https://localartplug.com

Watch the full episode on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtm5ErrhqtaaTScxsIPeDmQ

Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

What if getting better requires you to be willing to look bad first?

In Episode 40 of The Creative Life Podcast, Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons talk with Dylan Rohde, founder of The Backline Comedy Theatre in Omaha.

What began as one improv class in the basement of a small art gallery grew into a home for improv, sketch, stand-up, classes, performances, and the Omaha Comedy Fest.

Dylan shares what improv taught him about creative risk, collaboration, and the power of “yes, and.” He explains why vulnerability is necessary for growth, why healthy creative communities need entry points for beginners, and how following momentum helped him sustain and expand a creative business through changing spaces, COVID, and downtown construction.

The conversation also explores the tension between creative work and business operations, the value of learning from creative communities in other cities and countries, and the practical discipline of setting aside time for essential work so the creative mind can open again.

This episode is for artists, performers, creative entrepreneurs, community builders, and anyone who has delayed beginning because they were afraid of being seen before they felt ready.

Follow us on Instagram @TheCreativeLifePodcastOmaha

Learn more about Backline Comedy: https://backlinecomedy.com

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube. www.youtube.com/@TheCreativeLifePodcast

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

What if entrepreneurship is something you do, but being an artist is who you are?

For Obed Sanchez Liborio, creativity has never fit neatly into one medium or one career path. His work moves between ceramics, food, storytelling, gardening, entrepreneurship, and community building. But beneath all of those things is a consistent identity: artist.

In this episode of The Creative Life Podcast, Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons sit down with Obed to talk about what it means to build a creative life when survival, opportunity, identity, and artistic expression are all connected.

Obed shares how his early exposure to art materials sparked a lifelong connection to creativity, why he chose an arts-focused high school, and how clay became an important part of his artistic practice. He also talks about the unexpected path that led him into baking, including selling 100 cookies a day in high school as a way to make money.

But his story is about much more than entrepreneurship.

Obed challenges the idea that creatives have to choose one medium. His work has moved across ceramics, food, immersive experiences, and now a physical studio space. For him, staying creatively alive means staying in motion.

He also offers a thoughtful perspective on taking up space. Sometimes the creative life requires you to fight for your place. Other times, the wiser decision is to step aside, protect your peace, and allow someone else to occupy the space.

And perhaps the most important lesson: patience and art go hand in hand.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever wondered whether they are allowed to call themselves an artist, felt pressure to turn their creativity into a business, or found themselves moving between different creative interests.

Your creative path does not have to look linear to be legitimate.

🎙️ Hosted by Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons.

Follow Obed: https://www.instagram.com/sanchez.liborio.o/

Follow us on Instagram @TheCreativeLifePodcastOmaha

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

What does it take to develop an artistic voice—and to keep evolving once you find it?

In this episode of The Creative Life Podcast, Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons sit down with artist Sarah Craw to talk about the process of becoming an artist, finding your own visual language, and allowing your work to change as you do.

Sarah shares her perspective on experimentation, observation, and the role that curiosity plays in developing a creative practice. The conversation explores what happens when artists move beyond trying to create what they think they should make and begin paying attention to what genuinely interests them.

The episode also looks at the relationship between play and serious artistic practice, how artists navigate uncertainty, and why developing a creative voice is less about arriving at a final style and more about continuing to explore.

Listen to the full episode to hear Sarah Craw discuss:

• Finding and developing an artistic voice
• The role of play and experimentation in creative work
• How observation shapes an artist's practice
• Moving beyond expectations of what art "should" be
• Allowing your creative work to evolve over time

Continue the Conversation

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms.

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.

📱 Follow The Creative Life Podcast on Instagram: @TheCreativeLifePodcastOmaha

🪶 Learn more about James Eagle Feather: https://www.instagram.com/eaglefeatherempire/

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another creative who needs the reminder that their story isn't over.

Until next Friday, keep writing, keep creating, and keep living your Creative Life.

There Is Always a Promise for Redemption: James Eagle Feather on Reinvention, Storytelling & Creative Identity

What happens when you refuse to let your past define who you become?

In this episode of The Creative Life Podcast, Jessica and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons sit down with writer, speaker, mentor, and creative community builder James Eagle Feather for a candid conversation about redemption, reinvention, storytelling, and creative identity.

James shares his journey from growing up in North Omaha and spending more than 18 years incarcerated to rebuilding his life through writing, mentorship, public speaking, and creative community building.

He talks openly about the moment he realized that no one was coming to save him—that he had to take responsibility for changing his own life. He also shares how creativity became a way to create an entirely different world while incarcerated and how storytelling helped him process his experiences and imagine something different.

But James doesn't want his past to become his creative box.

As a writer, he intentionally explores different genres, including stories rooted in his experiences, historical romance, science fiction, and short stories. His goal is to remain versatile rather than be defined by one identity, one genre, or one chapter of his life.

James and the hosts also explore the relationship between creativity and healing, the importance of digging deep into difficult experiences, developing your voice, and showing up authentically—even when you're not perfect.

The conversation extends beyond James's personal story into his vision for Omaha. Through his work and the literary arts festival he helped create, James is working to make Omaha a place where writers, artists, and creative thinkers can build meaningful careers and community without feeling like they have to leave to find opportunity.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful idea:

There is always a promise for redemption.

And your past can inform your story without determining what you create next.

Continue the Conversation

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms.

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.

📱 Follow The Creative Life Podcast on Instagram: @TheCreativeLifePodcastOmaha

🪶 Learn more about James Eagle Feather: https://www.instagram.com/eaglefeatherempire/

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another creative who needs the reminder that their story isn't over.

Until next Friday, keep writing, keep creating, and keep living your Creative Life.

Everyone talks about growing an audience. Emilie Barnes believes the real goal is building a community.

This week on The Creative Life Podcast, Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons sit down with Emilie Barnes, founder of IRL Marketing, to explore why authentic relationships outperform algorithms, how in-person experiences create lasting brands, and why creators often underestimate the value of showing up consistently.

Together they discuss:

• • Why community should come before content
• The difference between marketing for attention and marketing for trust
• How local creatives can collaborate instead of compete
• Practical ways to create meaningful experiences people remember
• Why consistency matters more than chasing every trend

If you've ever wondered how to grow your creative work without feeling like you're constantly selling yourself, this conversation offers a refreshing alternative built on connection, generosity, and long-term relationships.

Hosted by Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons, The Creative Life Podcast is where creatives go for inspiration. Each week, they bring thoughtful conversations with artists, entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, and creative leaders to uncover the habits, ideas, and stories that fuel a meaningful creative life.

Follow us on Instagram: @TheCreativeLifePodcastOmaha

Learn more about this week's guest: https://www.instagram.com/e_rae_barnes/

Learn more about IRL Digital Marketing: https://eraebarnes.com/

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

What happens when you stop ignoring the creative voice inside you?

For Curtis Reynolds, the answer began with a piano in the back room of a local Omaha bar.

Curtis is the founder of Omaha Broadway Bar, a mobile piano bar and theatrical cabaret experience bringing performers and audiences together through music, connection, and shared moments of joy. What started as a creative outlet quickly became a growing community of more than 100 performers and countless audience members across Omaha and beyond.

In this episode of The Creative Life Podcast, Curtis shares the story behind building Omaha Broadway Bar, leaving the security of academia to pursue his creative calling, and creating spaces where artists can experiment, connect, and feel supported.

Together, we explore:

• Why creatives need spaces where they can belong
• The importance of listening to the “whispers” that guide your creative path
• How small experiments can become meaningful movements
• Why community is becoming one of the most important parts of the creative experience
• What happens when you finally share the work you love with others

Curtis reminds us that creativity is not always about making something perfect. Sometimes it begins with noticing what is missing and deciding to create it yourself.

This is The Creative Life Podcast — the place where creatives go for inspiration.

Follow us on Instagram @TheCreativeLifePodcastOmaha

Learn more about Omaha Broadway Bar https://www.instagram.com/omahabroadwaybar/

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

How do you keep creating when the world tells you that you don't belong?

Award-winning photographer Nia Karmann joins The Creative Life Podcast to share the story behind her creative journey from discovering photography through 4-H to building an award-winning photography business while living with spina bifida.

In this inspiring conversation, Nia discusses perseverance, accessibility in the arts, entrepreneurship, and why representation matters for the next generation of artists. She shares how mentors changed the trajectory of her life, how she approaches photography with authenticity and realism, and why showing up, even when it's difficult, is one of the most important creative acts we can make.

Whether you're an artist, entrepreneur, photographer, or someone navigating obstacles in your own creative journey, this episode is a reminder that your perspective is your greatest strength.

In this episode we discuss:

• Building confidence through creativity

• Living and creating with spina bifida

• Why accessibility matters in the arts

• Growing from 4-H projects to award-winning photography

• Starting and growing a creative business

• Why showing up matters more than perfection

• The power of mentors and creative community

• Organizing the Platte River Art Show

• Creating authentic photography in an AI world

Follow Nia Karmann: 📷 Nye Street Studio Photography

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms.

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

What makes great creative work possible? Talent is only part of the equation. The rest is trust.

In this episode of The Creative Life Podcast, hosts Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons sit down with Omaha-based band Fission for a conversation that goes far beyond music. Together, they explore what it takes to collaborate creatively, embrace vulnerability, and build something meaningful alongside other artists.

Fission shares how their music has evolved by allowing each member to bring unique perspectives to the creative process. Rather than chasing a single genre or protecting individual ideas, they've learned that the strongest work comes from curiosity, honest feedback, and a willingness to grow together.

The conversation also challenges one of the biggest myths surrounding creative careers...that artists have to choose between financial stability and pursuing their passion. The members of Fission offer an honest look at balancing work, creativity, and the long journey of building a sustainable artistic life.

Whether you're a musician, writer, designer, entrepreneur, filmmaker, or anyone pursuing creative work, this episode is a reminder that creativity isn't about having all the answers, it's about surrounding yourself with people who help you become better.

What You'll Learn

• Why your creative voice should evolve as you grow

• How collaboration strengthens ideas instead of weakening them

• The role trust and honest feedback play in making better art

• Why there's no shame in balancing work while pursuing your creative passion

• How to build a creative life that's sustainable, authentic, and rooted in community

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms.

📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube.

💌 Continue the conversation with Creative Life Notes on Creative Life Co. on Substack, where every episode becomes a deeper discussion through reflections, creative practices, and community conversations.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast are released every Friday.

What happens when the questions you've carried your entire life become the story that helps someone else heal?

In this episode of The Creative Life Podcast, Dr. Jessica Olsen and Dr. Jaclyn Gibbons sit down with Omaha author and adoption advocate Wilson Munsterman to discuss identity, belonging, resilience, and the transformative power of storytelling.

Found on a doorstep in China as an infant and adopted into a loving family in Nebraska, Wilson spent years wrestling with questions of worth, identity, and acceptance. Rather than allowing those experiences to define him, he transformed them into a mission to educate, advocate, and create community through his bestselling memoir, Marked By Adoption.

Together, they explore what it means to carry invisible stories, how creativity can become a tool for healing, and why vulnerability often opens the door to connection.

Whether you're an adoptee, a creative, a parent, or someone navigating your own journey of identity, this conversation offers hope, perspective, and a reminder that our stories can become someone else's lifeline.

What You'll Learn

• How storytelling can transform pain into purpose

• Why belonging is something we build together

• The role creativity plays in healing and advocacy

• How writing became Wilson's path toward understanding his own story

• Why vulnerability creates connection and lasting impact

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.

📚 Purchase Wilson's book, Marked By Adoption, at MarkedByAdoption.com.

🔔 New episodes of The Creative Life Podcast release every Friday.

💌 Continue the conversation on Creative Life Co. on Substack and share your reflections with our creative community.