The Creative Life Show

Photographer and storyteller Laura Dodsworth was a successful wedding photographer when she felt pulled to create a far more terrifying project: photographing 100 women and talking to them about their bodies. It became the hugely successful Bare Reality, and an entirely new creative journey. Find all the links at creativelifeshow.com.

Laura and I talk about the stream of rejections that followed. Agents, galleries, publishers and even friends all turned down her idea, with plenty of them questioning why anyone would buy it. We talk about how she kept going despite all the setbacks, her doubts and fears.

We also talk about how she overcame her professional fears to go in a direction that was so different to her normal commercial work.

But she also shares what it takes, and what she did to achieve:

- A crowd-funding campaign that reached its target in just one day

- A bestselling book

- Media interest from around the world

- Workshops, talks and even a play

We also talk about Laura's new project, Manhood, where she talks to 100 men about their bodies and their stories, and the whole new set of fears that came with it.

If you're feeling called to create work that's different to your normal direction, or if you have no idea how you can ever make it work, Laura's story is an essential listen.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

What does it take to get 2.3 million views for a TEDx talk? Top voice coach Caroline Goyder joins me to talk about how to create presence and authority as a creative, and the story of her own books (including the long journey to be published) and online success. Get all the links at creativelifeshow.com.

As creatives, speaking in public means often having to put non-verbal ideas into words. That brings plenty of challenges. How do we talk about design or art, music or movement, in a way that brings them to life? How do we convince other people to believe in our work simply by standing up and talking about it?

And yet, if we don't, our voices remain unheard.

Being able to speak powerfully in front of other people changes everything. It means we can get ourselves the jobs we want, or the partnerships we need. We can get clients or funders on side and convince get other people to believe in our ideas. Not least, we open up a whole world of media opportunities, interviews, and even paid speaking opportunities.

Whether you're comfortable talking in front of others but would like to get to the next stage, or the thought fills you with horror, Caroline has essential tips for you.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

What does it take to get 2.3 million views for a TEDx talk? Top voice coach Caroline Goyder joins me to talk about how to create presence and authority as a creative, and the story of her own books (including the long journey to be published) and online success. Get all the links at creativelifeshow.com.

As creatives, speaking in public means often having to put non-verbal ideas into words. That brings plenty of challenges. How do we talk about design or art, music or movement, in a way that brings them to life? How do we convince other people to believe in our work simply by standing up and talking about it?

And yet, if we don't, our voices remain unheard.

Being able to speak powerfully in front of other people changes everything. It means we can get ourselves the jobs we want, or the partnerships we need. We can get clients or funders on side and convince get other people to believe in our ideas. Not least, we open up a whole world of media opportunities, interviews, and even paid speaking opportunities.

Whether you're comfortable talking in front of others but would like to get to the next stage, or the thought fills you with horror, Caroline has essential tips for you.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

What do you do when your values clash with your lifestyle - but you love it? Dave Evans talks about how he went from high-profile Silicon Valley creative who never saw his kids to running the Life Lab at Stanford - a journey fraught with wrong turns and misplaced independence trying to solve everything himself. Get all the links at creativelifeshow.com.

Dave has taken thousands of Stanford students through a programme which applies 'design thinking' to organising your life. Forget planning, forget visions, forget the idea that you need to discover your one passion - this approach is about small steps, testing things, asking questions and seeing what happens.

Whether you're frustrated in your current work and want to try something different, or want to live a bit more fully, this is a great episode. Dave shares his own battle with his passion for work: 'I realised, I was an alcoholic working in a liquor store', and how it took him years to find the balance he wanted.

You'll learn:

- The difference between an engineering problem and a design problem, a gravity problem and an anchor problem, and why understanding those is crucial to working out what to do with your life

- How to work out which of your many possible lives is the one you want to live

Why curiosity underpins everything in your life

- The cycle of growth, and how to move from being, to doing, to becoming.

- The difference between wayfinding and navigation - and which one you need when you don't have a map

Be more creative!

I’ve created 15 days of creative inspiration to give you daily inspiration and motivation, with reflections to help you go deeper into your own creative life and work. Each morning for 15 days I'll send you some music, art or poetry to surprise, inspire or motivate you - some you'll know, some you won't, and all of it is work I love. Sign up at creativelifeshow.com – it’s completely free.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

What do you do when your values clash with your lifestyle - but you love it? Dave Evans talks about how he went from high-profile Silicon Valley creative who never saw his kids to running the Life Lab at Stanford - a journey fraught with wrong turns and misplaced independence trying to solve everything himself. Get all the links at creativelifeshow.com.

Dave has taken thousands of Stanford students through a programme which applies 'design thinking' to organising your life. Forget planning, forget visions, forget the idea that you need to discover your one passion - this approach is about small steps, testing things, asking questions and seeing what happens.

Whether you're frustrated in your current work and want to try something different, or want to live a bit more fully, this is a great episode. Dave shares his own battle with his passion for work: 'I realised, I was an alcoholic working in a liquor store', and how it took him years to find the balance he wanted.

You'll learn:

- The difference between an engineering problem and a design problem, a gravity problem and an anchor problem, and why understanding those is crucial to working out what to do with your life

- How to work out which of your many possible lives is the one you want to live

Why curiosity underpins everything in your life

- The cycle of growth, and how to move from being, to doing, to becoming.

- The difference between wayfinding and navigation - and which one you need when you don't have a map

Be more creative!

I’ve created 15 days of creative inspiration to give you daily inspiration and motivation, with reflections to help you go deeper into your own creative life and work. Each morning for 15 days I'll send you some music, art or poetry to surprise, inspire or motivate you - some you'll know, some you won't, and all of it is work I love. Sign up at creativelifeshow.com – it’s completely free.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Painter Norman Perryman describes himself as 'a musician who was born an artist'. He creates live performances with classical orchestras and musicians, live painting to the music. On today's Creative Life Show we talk about how he goes about creating a new art form, and how he goes about convincing other people to support something they've never come across before.

We also talk about the commission Norman received during his wife's battle with cancer, to paint the singer and leukaemia survivor Jose Carreras. He tells me about the process of painting through grief and the loss of his wife, and how the experience affected his work.

Norman talks about how he faces up to the ever-present risk of depression, and how he pushes himself to take risks to move his work and his life forwards.

You can see Norman's work at creativelifeshow.com, where you can also sign up for the free email course 15 days of creative inspiration.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Painter Norman Perryman describes himself as 'a musician who was born an artist'. He creates live performances with classical orchestras and musicians, live painting to the music. On today's Creative Life Show we talk about how he goes about creating a new art form, and how he goes about convincing other people to support something they've never come across before.

We also talk about the commission Norman received during his wife's battle with cancer, to paint the singer and leukaemia survivor Jose Carreras. He tells me about the process of painting through grief and the loss of his wife, and how the experience affected his work.

Norman talks about how he faces up to the ever-present risk of depression, and how he pushes himself to take risks to move his work and his life forwards.

You can see Norman's work at creativelifeshow.com, where you can also sign up for the free email course 15 days of creative inspiration.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Roxanna Panufnik is one of Britain's most popular classical composers. She’s particularly known for her works for choirs, and next year will see the premiere of a new opera, Silver Birch, which draws on stories of World War 1 as well as contemporary experiences of war and its impact on families. You can find all the links at creativelifeshow.com.

Roxanna tells me about the time when, faced with an ideal new commission, she spent weeks of agony sitting in front of a blank piece of paper, asking herself whether her career was over. We talk about how she got herself out, and what she does to keep that kind of block at bay.

We also talk about the central role that emotion plays in Roxanna's work, and how she manages her energy and own emotion to stay healthy and productive. We talk about how the importance of the right collaborators, and how finding the right text - or the wrong one - can make all the difference to her creative work.

Roxanna Panufnik is one of the most disciplined and yet fun creators I've talked to so far. In a life full of high-profile commissions, professional demands on her time, three children and a busy personal life, she's made a conscious decision to look after own own mind and body.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Roxanna Panufnik is one of Britain's most popular classical composers. She’s particularly known for her works for choirs, and next year will see the premiere of a new opera, Silver Birch, which draws on stories of World War 1 as well as contemporary experiences of war and its impact on families. You can find all the links at creativelifeshow.com.

Roxanna tells me about the time when, faced with an ideal new commission, she spent weeks of agony sitting in front of a blank piece of paper, asking herself whether her career was over. We talk about how she got herself out, and what she does to keep that kind of block at bay.

We also talk about the central role that emotion plays in Roxanna's work, and how she manages her energy and own emotion to stay healthy and productive. We talk about how the importance of the right collaborators, and how finding the right text - or the wrong one - can make all the difference to her creative work.

Roxanna Panufnik is one of the most disciplined and yet fun creators I've talked to so far. In a life full of high-profile commissions, professional demands on her time, three children and a busy personal life, she's made a conscious decision to look after own own mind and body.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

What if your moods and emotions were just signposts to how to live a fuller life? I talk to Andy Gibson, founder of Mindapples, about how looking after our minds is just as important as our bodies to lead full and creative lives - and how we can make prioritising our mental health a normal part of our routines.

Click to view: show page on Awesound