The Daily Writer

Creativity is a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional topic. Yet at the end of the day, we operate by one simple truth: God is ultimately the source of our creative powers. The whole point of our lives is to honor Him with our creative gifts. That’s why it’s foundational to have a robust and meaningful worship life. I’m honored today to share a conversation with a friend who gives us practical guidance for living a life of worship.

I’m excited to share my conversation with friend Aric Marshall, who is the Professor of Worship at St. Louis Christian, where I also teach. Aric is new to our college, but he’s definitely not new to worship leadership and education. He has been a public and private school music teacher, worship leader, private music instructor, and is now a college professor. Aric is an accomplished pianist and also plays a mean saxophone!

In our conversation, we cover a variety of topics, including the role of emotions in worship, why it’s still important to be involved in church, the danger of toxic people, how to select worship songs, and strategies for handling musicians who don’t fit in your church’s music style. You’ll also learn essential habits to help you become a better worship and leader.

Aric and I both have extensive backgrounds in worship ministry, so our conversation naturally drifts in that direction. But even if that’s not your area of interest, you’ll still gain a lot from this conversation whether you’re a church member, leader, or pastor.

And if you’re listening and you’re not a person of faith, I hope this will give you some insight into why worship is so important to us. I also hope it inspires you to keep seeking as you continue your own spiritual journey.

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/worship.

Let’s begin with a riddle: When is the perfect time to make your creative work a priority? Answer: There is no perfect time. Life is messy, and if we put off our important creative work until the “right time,” that time will never come. Our guest today knows that dilemma very well, and as a successful realtor, mother, and wife, she still found time to pursue her creativity. As you hear her story, you’ll also be inspired and equipped to make your creative work a priority as well.

I’m excited to share this interview with Karen Briscoe, who is a Realtor, author, and entrepreneur. She is the creator of the 5 Minute Success concept, host of the 5 Minute Success podcast, and a regular speaker both nationally and locally. Karen is also a frequent guest on other podcasts that focus on entrepreneurship, success, motivation, and real estate-related topics. In addition, she is a contributing author to real estate media outlets INMAN and Real Trends.

In our conversation, Karen goes into detail about the background behind the creation of her first book. You’ll learn from her experience why there is no perfect time to take action. You’ll also learn how to increase the speed of your success by learning from others people’s experience. One of the most insightful parts of our conversation is Karen’s reflection on how real estate agents are actually “change” agents who help their clients navigate the enormous emotional changes they experience in a move. 

You’re going to love Karen’s enthusiasm and her emphasis on taking action and executing on your ideas!

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/priority. 

Most of the time on this show, we focus on helping you be a better creative entrepreneur. Today we are turning the tables and talking about how we can help our kids be more creative. We have the privilege and responsibility to help the next generation fulfill their God-given creative potential. Whether you are a parent, pastor, teacher, or youth worker, today’s amazing guest will share lots of practical tips for bringing out the creative best in kids.

When I relaunched this podcast a few months ago, one of the very first interviews I booked with was Joseph Roth. I knew I wanted to explore how to help kids be more creative, and he was my #1 choice for this topic. 

Joseph is the Elementary School Pastor at Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri. My family has been blessed by his ministry, and he brings a lot to our conversation as a pastor, parent, and artist. You’ll learn why your words of affirmation are so important, practical ways to develop kids’ creativity, and a behind-the-scenes peek at what it takes to run a large children’s ministry.

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/creativekids. 

As artists and entrepreneurs, we face the constant struggle of how to best use our time. We not only want to produce great creative work, we also have jobs, families, customers or clients, church and community responsibilities … and sleep! It’s far too easy to forget that we need to feed our souls with great art. Our guest today shares her story of becoming an amazing artist, and why we need to continue feeding our souls throughout our lives.

I’m excited to bring you this fun conversation with my good friend Alice Perrey. She is the Professor of Developmental Studies and Chair of the General Education Division at St. Louis Christian College, where I’m also a professor. I have always respected Alice’s great talent as a fantastic pianist, but even more, I’ve admired her generosity and good humor as an amazing human being. Alice also released her first instrumental piano album, called “Streams for the Soul,” last year.

On this episode, you’ll learn why Alice was drawn to piano as a child, insights for dealing with criticism as an artist, and practical tips for making time for your creative work no matter what your stage of life. Alice also offers some great insights into why you must take action and work through the challenges of a new project.

As an added bonus, at the very end of the episode, I’ve included the track “When We All Get to Heaven” from Alice’s instrumental album.

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/feedyoursoul. 

Imagine that you and I are having coffee together, and I looked across the table at you and said, “Give me a clear summary of what you do in 1-2 sentences” … what would you say? If you would struggle to answer that question, you have a clarity problem. I can relate, because this is an area where I have struggled as well. We’re in luck because our guest today shares a massive amount of wisdom and practical tips for getting clarity about your creative work, your business, and your ideal customer, client, or reader.

I’m excited to bring you this conversation with Steve Woodruff, who is known as the “King of Clarity.” He helps people find their professional purpose through his Clarity Consulting process. Steve works with businesses as well as individuals in career transition to help them be more effective and discover their fit in the marketplace. He is also the author of the excellent book Clarity Wins: Get Heard, Get Referred.

This episode is packed with a ton of amazing information, as you can see from the length of the episode highlights I’ve listed in the show notes. But just to give you a couple of highlights, you’ll learn how to start thinking like a business person, how to determine your ideal customer or client (this applies to authors, not just “business” people), and how to effectively network with people as an introvert. Steve also gives me a mini coaching session and shares his very personal journey through depression. 

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/clarity. 

We become artists for a variety of reasons. Many of us, perhaps even most of us, are drawn to the stage because we want to escape from ourselves. But what if becoming an artist was all about the journey to discover your authentic self? Today’s guest shares her fascinating story through music, recovery, faith, and the creative arts in the pursuit of discovering her true self.

I’m thrilled to bring you this conversation with my good friend Jeni Voss, who is the lead singer of That 80’s Band, a fantastic group based here in St. Louis. Jeni has quite a story to share, and I have to say this was one of my favorite podcast interviews. As you hear Jeni’s story, you’ll be inspired by her pursuit of an authentic life through a variety of creative and community experiences.

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/courage. 

I recently read that around 68% of U.S. households own a pet, which includes 60 millions households that own a dog. If you don’t own a dog, I’m sure you know someone who does. On today’s episode, our guest helps unlock the surprising ways that owning a dog can boost your creativity and improve your life.

I’m excited to share my conversation with Faye Ruch from DogLifeMadeBetter.com. Faye is on a mission to help dogs have better owners. I love that tagline because it reminds us that we have a reciprocal relationship with our dogs—we have a responsibility to them, and in turn, then improve our lives.

I first met Faye in a mastermind group last year, and her passion for helping dog owners was immediately apparent. As you listen to our conversation, you’ll learn practical ways that owning a dog can help you be more creative, how to be a better dog owner, and some fascinating lessons Faye has learned on her entrepreneurial journey. This episode is packed with surprising tidbits that you can start putting into practice immediately. I know I certainly learned a lot!

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/dogs. 

One of the key questions we ask ourselves as artists is, “How can I be more productive?” We all want the ability to produce more writing, music, art, or other creative work. But how do we actually do it? Are there systems we can implement to help us be more productive? What is the mindset required to produce more creative work? Our guest today addresses all these issues and much more … and the answer may just surprise you.   I’m excited to bring you my conversation with Adrian Shepherd. He started his career as an ESL teacher in Japan, but today focuses on consulting with individuals and companies on productivity. His background in education helped him develop The One-Bite Time Management System (TMS), a revolutionary new system based entirely around simplicity: small bites that people can digest easily. He is based in Osaka, Japan.   On this episode, you’ll learn all about the importance of habits, mindset, and routines in becoming a more productive artist or creative. Adrian shares about the importance of breathing and sleep, the dangers of too much caffeine, the value of taking small bites and building momentum, and how martial arts can help you be more disciplined. This episode is packed with a lot of tips you can start putting into practice immediately to help you be more productive in your creative work.   To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/productivity.

How well do you truly know yourself? If you and I were really honest, we would have to admit we probably don’t know ourselves as well as we think. Self-knowledge is critical if we are going to do the work we are called to do. On today’s episode, my friend Teresa McCloy walks us through the Enneagram, a fantastic tool to help us know ourselves, impact the world, and do better creative work.

Teresa McCloy is a coach, consultant and professional speaker. Teresa uses her REALIFE Process™ and tools such as the Enneagram Typology Profile to help her clients move from living with their hair on fire to discovering clarity about the life they want to live and the process to make it happen. Teresa lives with her husband Dale on their third-generation family grain farm in south central Illinois.

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/enneagram

It’s been said that over 80% of people want to write a book. However, there is a big difference between wanting to write and actually doing it. If you ever wanted to write a book but aren’t sure how it can benefit your life or how to get started, my guest today will give you the inspiration and practical steps to make your writing dream a reality.

Eric Elder is an author, speaker, and contemporary pianist with a passion for sharing Christ with others. Eric is a pioneer in online ministry, has written for numerous publications, and has spoken internationally at conferences and retreats. He has also produced a wealth of books and music for his own ministry, which is an online spiritual retreat center called The Ranch.

To read the full show notes, visit https://kentsanders.net/writeabook