Creating in the Cracks

In this episode Sarah has been marching through some drafting drudgery and recovering from re-entry into the week after a writing get-away. Lessie continues to make progress with her current illustration project and has been discussing the implications of AI on the industry with fellow illustrators from the Cardboard box Illustrators community.

In todays episode Sarah and Lessie discuss busy weekend whiplash and the art of decluttering. Lessie raves about the fantastic workshop with Matt Shank facilitated by Tash Hagarty through the Cardboard Box Illustrators and discusses some of the considerations Matt shared when working with publishers. Sarah has been inspired by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s latest Classic Kids show, The Peasan...

After a knock to Sarah’s little one’s head bumped the podcast across to this week, Lessie and Sarah both had happy weekends punctuated by efforts to carve out creating time. While they talk the benefits of kids’ sport and recent success, Sarah has been steadily stitching away at her draft and combining characters while Lessie is striking the balance between constructive criticism and authenticity....

In this episode Sarah and Lessie share some parenting wins when it comes to sleep and holding the balance of needs for the neurospicy kids before diving into discussions about their crafts. Lessie attended the KidLitVic Illustrators workshop and shares her biggest take-away from the wisdom of Donna Rawlings and Maryann Ballantyne. Sarah continues to put in the work on her fourth draft, looking for...

In this episode Sarah and Lessie finally catch up after the welcomed onslaught of school holidays, exchanging glory stories and shenanigans of the clans. Lessie shares about exploring Dr Melillo’s work as a mother of neurospicy kids while Sarah has fallen under the spell of Encanto. Enjoy! Dr Rob Melilo Disconnected Kids https://www.booktopia.com.au/disconnected-kids-dr-robert-melillo/book/9780399...

In this episode Sarah and Lessie swap Easter celebrations and shenanigans involving too much chocolate. Sarah has continued her exploration of Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf while Lessie has been plugging along with her commission and examining her portfolio for Kidlitvic. Lessie gives the Angel Studios film, Cabrini a glowing review in its ability to emphasise the humanity of its subject and th...

In this episode Sarah’s and Lessie share the shenanigans of family life between 4-9pm, a bit about managing anxiety and why Sarah didn’t pursue birth coaching. Lessie talks about tackling commissions and Sarah discusses her latest Tolkien discovery which lead to a golden moment of motherhood and the joy of language. The KidLitVic conference is coming up in May, tickets go on sale next Monday, so L...

In this episode, Sarah and Lessie swap comic horror stories about toilet training and being boy-mums, and delve into helping to heal recurring nightmares. We share the discovery of Rachel Ryusch, an artist mother from the Dutch Golden Era, before launching into the fraught labyrinth of humanising people on all sides of conflicts that involve terrible ethical and moral dilemmas, inspired by the nov...

In this episode Sarah and Lessie share the joy of catching up face-to-face and spending a friend's 40th birthday at the museum. Lessie is lacking more sleep than usual while Sarah has caught up on word counts over the weekend away. The Story of the World Susan Bauer https://www.theeducationalwarehouse.com/product-page/volume-2-the- middle-ages-story-book-only-22-00

In this episode Sarah and Lessie talk toilet training wins, possum wars and the wonder of childhood and art. Lessie explores how mindset is impacting her creative practise and Sarah delves into the way her word count is directed by the verbosity of her female characters. Bouncing between all that as well as imitating and learning from the Masters of art and writing, there's something for everyone...

In this episode, Sarah and Lessie have both been feeling pretty flat in their creativity. They talk about recognising your inner critic and how to send them… well elsewhere. The girls draw inspiration from Claude Monet and Julia Donaldson while delving into ways to observe how one describes characters and settings whether through words or pictures. They also discuss the beauty and tension of the c...

Ep 17 In this episode, Sarah and Lessie share routines and habits currently making their lives a little easier and keeping the chaos at bay. Sarah shares all about her recent tour of Victoria’s state library and divulges some of the secrets it has tucked away before we touch on some of Lessie’s pretty fascinating family heritage. Email: Steinbingenstudios@gmail.com Instagram Sarah: https://www.ins...

In this episode Sarah and Lessie recap our summer, talk scene lists and inspiring illustrators. We wish for more Georgette Heyers in the world, perhaps with a dash of Ned Kelly's letter writing style. Lessie also touches on getting businessy as a creative. Kristen Willis https://www.instagram.com/tondocreative/ Helen dardic https://www.instagram.com/helen_dardik/ Naomi Lawler https://www.insta...

Welcome to the last episode of creating in the cracks for 2023, our Christmas special. Today we bring to you the delightful Helena Adeloju and her most sublime Christmas compilation of spoken word poetry, including her very own composition, “The Kings Gift”. Inspired by her research and work going into this compilation we reminisce over all things Christmas and poetry, each of us deep diving into...

In this episode, Lessie finally gets past car issues (she hopes) and has all the end of year feels with the school term wrapping up. Sarah continues to delve into character development - what her characters are not! - and plotting for her new novel, drawing inspiration from what we agree is a must-watch film, and both of us get excited over the arrival of Lessie’s new homeware collections. Shakira...

In this episode, Lessie explains how her van (like everyone else) has had enough of 2023 and created a saga on the way to market. Sarah is served tea and a book after emulating Bandit Heeler's duck cake meltdown, and both of them share plans for St Nick's Day, Advent, and Christmas. Sarah also discusses her previous battles with plotting and how she's making progress while Lessie goes...

In this episode, Sarah is the heroine, gracefully keeping her cool through a week of meltdowns, and I conquer a trip to Officeworks. We both melt over the beauty of felt art and the discovery of a pop-art nun. Sarah continues to push through the anatomy of a story while I tick off projects to share and sell. Finally, we get to the vulnerable side of being artist mothers, how we work towards a posi...

In this episode Sarah and Lessie tackle hangry-ness and helping kids communicate with the wisdom of Dan Seigel. Lessie rediscovers the joy and charm from two very fond childhood memories, while Sarah daringly moves one of her characters across the globe from Paris to London. This episode feels like home to us, chewing over all things creative with a dear friend, so come join us! Sarah Fiddelaers:...

In this episode, Sarah and I discuss apple hoards, swap holiday packing tips and explore the world of pigments and play, in writing and doodling. In my latest read, I delved into the abyss of communism while Sarah has begun to wrestle with the structure of her latest story. Binca Pozzi https://www.instagram.com/bianca.pozzi/ Studio Senn https://www.instagram.com/studio_senn/ Belle Vue park wool ht...

In this episode Sarah and I delve into the seasons of motherhood & creativity, conquering imposter syndrome and your inner critic. We explore how setting goals or deadlines can keep those cracks creative, cultivating the art of leisure and the exciting discovery of a new chocolate! We also discuss staying focussed on the self-revelation of a story, playing with colour and the fascinating history o...

Sarah and Lessie are thrilled to be back podcasting together! Boy have we missed it, and you! This episode holds a quick catch up on the last few years, moving from all littles to school aged kids, new directions, learning your craft and bringing women together to get creative. Instagram @sjfiddelaers @ag_doyle @steinbingen_studios Email: steinandbingenstudios@gmail.com Substack coming soon! Inspi...

In this episode, Sarah and Lessy lay it out about daily battles with little people and discuss the importance of historical events and cultural heritage. Sarah talks about her research for her novels and Lessy delves into the complexities of being simultaneously sensitive and creative when it comes to writing from different cultural perspectives.  Michael McIntyre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0...

This episode, Sarah and Lessy discuss the love hate relationship with supermarket collectibles, manuscript editing and what Sarah learned at the Romance Writers Festival. Highlights also include living vicariously through other people’s travels and how Sarah went with her pitch dates at the Festival. Sarah Fiddalaers: @sarahfiddelaers on Instagram and Facebook. Alessandra Doyle: @ag_doyle on Insta...

In this episode, Sarah and Lessy give you the low down on why they've been so MIA. We're talking babies, baptisms and love letters inspired by Pride and Prejudice. On the creative front, Sarah has made some serious progress with her manuscript and Lessy has continued to dip in and out of creating and community.  Sarah Fiddelaers: instagram @sarahfiddelaers www.sarahfiidelaers.com Alessandra (Lessy...

Our contact details: sarahfiddelaers.com Instagram @sarahfiddelaers Facebook @Sarah Fiddelaers (writer) Twitter @sjfiddelaers alessandradoyle.com Instagram @ag_doyle Facebook @Alessandra G Doyle Twitter @agmdoyle Saintx studio https://saintxstudio.com.au/ Rosemary Mastnak, Dancing with Grandma https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/dancing-with-grandma-by-rosemary- mastnak/97817...