The Thriving Creative

Do you ever get caught up in the trap of learning and mastering something new that you never actually get started? As an entrepreneur and a creative, it can be super easy to stall out in perfectionism because you feel like you’re not qualified. In this episode, I invited DIY guru, Cara Newhart to tell her story of failing forward into the business of her dreams. Cara shares that even with a degree in business and art, her biggest breakthroughs resulted when her first business flopped. 

Cara also shares what tips she has for getting started in creating a space you love. Be sure to check out her wall-papered refrigerator (you heard me!) and the plans she has for you to make an entryway bench for $12. So grab your earbuds, and maybe a drill or paintbrush because you’re going to be inspired to DIY BIG to create a home you love!

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Raise your hand if you’re an Enneagram enthusiast like me! Any personality assessment can be a great tool for learning what makes you tick and why certain challenges are common to you. Yet simply being self-aware doesn’t help us become better versions of ourselves.

Today on the show we’re going to explore what I like to call a growth mindset for self-love. Self-love may start with acceptance, but it’s never where it stops. There are parts of any personality that pose challenges and even consequences if we don’t address them and make necessary shifts. The good news is that we can make these changes through simple exercises in mindfulness.

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Have you ever been guilty of trying to find the perfect planner? Whether it is digital or paper, fancy, or simple, it can be hard to find a planner that is tailored perfectly to how your brain works. If you’re like me, you fill out January and February, and then it all falls apart. But sometimes planners simply fail us because we want them to do something they can’t: control our time! When it comes to time management and productivity, understanding what you believe about time is the key to making breakthroughs in your productivity. In this episode, I am going to challenge you to shift your mindset about time so you can shift your life. 

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It’s time to shake things up here in the Thriving Creative Podcast Community, and it starts with me, your host. 

I have been doing a lot of learning, a lot of reflecting, and a lot of listening in the last few weeks. Perhaps more than ever before when it comes to the issue of racial inequality.  I’ve struggled to come to terms with a failure to amplify diverse voices in this community. I am sorry, and I am committed to doing much more. 

And so I share this prayer with you in hopes that you could also make it your own. 

Please God, Let it NEVER go back to normal.

I have to tell you that at the beginning of this pandemic, all I was really praying for was that things would just go back to normal. I missed so many simple things that I had taken for granted. My anxiety was sky-high because all I could see was all the things that I was missing. Here and there my heart would shift toward gratitude, but not often enough. Then I finally came to terms with the fact that life had slowed down long enough for us to pause and surrender in this season of prolonged uncertainty. This pause made me recognize I had the opportunity to step into this moment when the hurt of the black community can no longer be dismissed.  

Dear God, Let it NEVER go back to normal. 

Though we cannot make up for the hundreds of years of injustice, I realize that it is still not too late to use my privilege to fight to restore justice for black lives. My white friends, it’s time to stop and listen. It’s time to stop airing your opinion and minimizing the pain that black people endure on a daily basis. I am committing to using my voice to act on your behalf. I am committing to dismantling racism both in this current moment and in the future. 

Dear God, Let it NEVER go back to normal.

For our guest today, gratitude is more than a part of her morning ritual. It’s a value that drives everything she creates in her business. Marilyn De la Hoz is the owner of With Love Studio, where she specializes in creating branded apparel and client gifts to ensure your client experience is unforgettable. Marilyn helps you break out of the virtual world and a bunch of sales automations to say “thank you” for working with you! 

In our conversation, Marilyn shares how she finds ways to nurture her creative side and stay present with her busy kiddos without totally burning out. She’s okay with giving herself extra grace when she falls short as a mom or with her business goals. Her girls will only be little for a season, so she doesn’t mind being needed by them in big ways. Marilyn also shares how you can use her thank you and welcome boxes to surprise and delight your customers. She even shares tips on how you can stop getting lost in the shuffle of typical marketing tactics. If you can’t describe your customer experience, chances are you need Marilyn’s products in your life!

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Whenever your stress levels are sky-high, (like they might be right now), the anxiety you feel can make your brain reactive and unable to be creative or cope. So I am going to offer you ten of the most helpful tips I’ve found when it comes to dealing with my own stress. They might be things that have helped in the past and you’ve just forgotten to use them. They might be new strategies for you to experiment with. Regardless, you now have a handy list available to you of ways to cope when you feel the pressure rising. 

Do you have any other tips to share? I want to hear them! Share them with me on Instagram and tag me, @naphtalivroberts so that together, we can develop the ultimate list of ways to thrive even when we are totally overwhelmed!

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If you're a creative and your business requires face to face interaction with your clients, this has likely been a season plagued with anxiety and fear. It was for our guest and brand photographer, Nicole Anderson too. Though the anxiety paralyzed her for a moment, she realized she had to find a way to change her life. Over the last few months, Nicole used her expertise in brand photography to create mini-courses that include how to take better pictures of yourself, how to take pictures of food (foodtography), and how to take pictures of products for Etsy sellers. In this interview, Nicole shares with us all the gritty details of her creative process from breakdown to breakthrough. Her story will no doubt convince you that you can make changes in your life even when anxiety seems like your new (or old) BFF. 

Nicole is a creative through and through- as a personal branding photographer and content strategist, she LIVES to create for others. She is the wife of an Englishman, her business partner, and the mom to 2 kiddos- Jack & Olivia. She enjoys cheese, cake and Netflix zoning out at the end of the day. Don’t forget to check out the Cell Series if your photos are lacking luster these days!

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Have you ever been so stuck inside your thoughts that you can’t function? Or maybe you’ve been so overwhelmed by your emotions that you can’t make sense of them? On any given day, I could be paralyzed by either or both parts of me. But I’ve discovered one of the most powerful tools I have to snap out of a funk is to turn on some music and get down with my bad self! 

In this episode, I want to share with you the powerful connection between dance and your mental health. There are so many benefits of taking time to dance. It can help you to reduce anxiety, re-engage your passions, and perhaps most importantly, love yourself. I’m going to challenge you to find a way to dance to today and show you how you can unlock your mind and heart through mindfulness if you’re feeling stuck today!

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You may know that meditation is a healthy practice known for reducing anxiety and allowing you to focus more. But if you haven’t found a practice that works for you, it’s hard to invest in the habit and even harder to believe in the payoff. In this episode, I am going to share with you a little more about the why behind meditation and help you consider some types of meditation you might not have tried before. The goal? For you to find a meditation practice that aligns with YOU! It’s incredibly easy to get stuck reliving the past or imagining our fears coming true in the future. If you can learn to train your brain to stay present, you will experience so much freedom. 

When you can learn to stay present and notice your thought patterns, you will be more capable of aligning your thoughts towards the action you want to be taking. Your goals and dreams are worth this investment! 

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The signs of running on empty can be pretty obvious. You’re grumpy, reactive, and you struggle to be a good problem solver. Things that normally slide off your back are suddenly deal breakers. It’s not rocket science, but sometimes it's just really hard to prioritize making time to refuel your mind and heart. Everyone else’s needs seem to pile up and be more important. We end up taking care of everyone else and then blaming them for the fact that we are running on fumes. Here’s a truth bomb for ya: self-care isn’t selfish because everyone suffers when you don’t put your needs first. 

So today, stop convincing yourself that you don’t need to pause and invest in the things that fill your cup. Make a list of the things that energize you and inspire you...and then go do them! Or at least one of them! I am sharing with you a few things off of my list and how I have to be strategic about making time and space to do them. Connecting and cultivating are not tasks on your to-do list. They are the activities that are necessary for you to be able to fulfill your creative calling. 

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