This is How We Create

What is the cost of inaction in your life? How many projects do you have as ideas but aren't putting any effort into? In this episode, I share the psychological framework you need to break free from fear patterns and stop waiting for motivation to strike.   You will uncover why action must precede confidence, how to leverage temporal landmarks to reset your mind, and the 25-minute strategy that di...

Today, figurative painter Miranda Forrester reveals what it takes to stop shrinking and start restructuring the canvas on your own terms.    She unpacks the shock of realizing standard primary colors could never capture her reality as a Black queer woman and explains how a simple shift in her palette changed her artistic trajectory.    We discuss the stigma surrounding motherhood in the art world...

In part two of our grant preparation series, I reveal why artists face rejection and share the exact mindset shift that changes everything.    We tackle the unspoken rules of funding panels, how to strategically scale from local micro-grants to national fellowships, and why proving your project's momentum matters far more than pitching your talent.    Stop letting minor technicalities ruin your ch...

What happens when the urge to break free finally overpowers the habit of people-pleasing? Sometimes the heaviest trauma acts as the catalyst you need to unlock your artistic language. I sit down with multidisciplinary visual artist and architect Tasanee Durrett to trace her incredible leap from an oppressive eight-year relationship to exhibiting at Expo Chicago. She reveals how she picked up a pai...

We're pulling back the curtain on the mysterious world of artist grants to reveal exactly how this system operates and where the real money actually sits. Stop draining your own bank account to support your art and claim the financial backing your boldest vision deserves.    This episode is a replay. You will also find it as episode XXX.   Chapters 00:00 The Mystery Behind Artist Grants 00:46 A Qu...

What happens when you stop fighting your creative identity?  In our conversation, contemporary artist Cristina Martinez shares how to set fierce boundaries around your craft and convert your personal story into work that commands attention.    Chapters 00:00 - Breaking a 200-Year Public Art Streak in Seattle  02:10 - Introducing Contemporary Artist Cristina Martinez  02:48 - How Butterfly Gardens...

When you peek behind the curtain of a podcast, you see the hidden engine holding everything together long before the microphone turns on. In this episode, my lead producer Daniel Espinosa and I unpack the exact three-phase framework that transforms chaotic creative ideas into a seamless production machine. Master our framework so you can protect your artistic energy and elevate your craft without...

Could your biggest career breakthrough come from a time of isolation? Photographer Polly Irungu bought her first camera with money from working at McDonald's to cope with moving to a new place. She didn't know then that she was starting a global movement.   In this episode, I talk with Polly about how she started Black Women Photographers, worked with big brands like Nikon and Adobe, and learned t...

You spend countless hours perfecting your work, yet your posts keep tumbling into a sea of silent scrollers and soul-crushing algorithms.    In this episode, our podcast marketing specialist, Lina, joins me to unlock the exact digital strategy we used to transform a modest following into a devoted community of over eleven thousand supporters.    Hit play right now to steal our exact marketing blue...

What's the missing key to your biggest artistic breakthrough? You might feel trapped in a demanding day job or paralyzed by fear of rejection, yet your tightest constraints can become your ultimate creative advantage.   Screenwriter Octavia Clahar, reveals how she directed her debut TV pilot inside a video game when traditional funding fell through.    Tune in to discover how you can stop waiting...

We accidentally unlocked a strategy that skyrocketed our own community from three hundred quiet listeners to over 11,000 fiercely loyal fans in less than six months. I sit down with our brilliant social media specialist, Lina Monterey, to expose the mistakes that are stopping you from reaching your audience.  Lina shares the exact methods she uses to carve irresistible hooks out of everyday conver...

Feeling stuck in a safe job while your creative dreams take a backseat? Sometimes an unexpected plot twist is just what you need to leap. In this episode, I'm chatting with artist Hadiya Williams about how getting laid off helped her build a thriving studio on her own terms. Hear how a 100-day challenge sparked her signature style, how she got into art school without a traditional portfolio, and h...

If you want to start a podcast but are paralyzed by the fear of sounding stupid, you may be paying the high price of waiting. In this episode, learn the steps to start your podcast.  Stop letting the illusion of readiness stall your momentum; tune in to claim your voice, launch your project, and find and build your dedicated tribe today.    Chapters 00:13 - Confession: Ten Years of Stalling and Fe...

What does ultimate creative freedom look like? What boundaries do you need to have in your life for this freedom to propel you forward? In this conversation with cookbook author Nicole A. Taylor, we talk code-switching, what it takes to write a book, and how personal ethics might be the fuel for your career. Hit play to hear how drawing your own hard lines can unlock your truest, most powerful cre...

What should you do about burnout? In this episode, I pull back the curtain on nearly 200 episodes to reveal the psychological shifts and structural changes that rescued me from burnout. These shifts transformed how I approach delegation and audience building.   Listen to this milestone episode to discover the practical, battle-tested blueprints you need to stop merely surviving your creative caree...

Atlanta interior design powerhouse Justin Q. Williams built a celebrated empire by launching his business at just eighteen, but the glittering television features and custom furniture lines mask years of grueling midnight grinds, raw psychological battles with clients, and a devastating early rejection that completely altered his trajectory. I strip away the glossy highlight reel of creative entre...

Every creative hits the wall where a dream client utters the four words: "we have no budget."    In this special community Q&A episode, I pull back the curtain on the subtle business traps that quietly drain your bank account and compromise your artistic integrity.    You will discover the psychological pricing trick that forces clients to pick your ideal rate, the hidden meanings behind sudden ti...

Screenwriter and coach Aleia Kristene survived grueling hustle, but she walked away questioning whether the narrative of the suffering artist is actually a badge of honor or just unexamined trauma. In our conversation, she reveals how she transformed twenty years of family tragedy into a limited series. She also shares the exact pacing mistakes that instantly tank amateur scripts.    If you feel s...

For six years, I built this podcast while secretly measuring my worth against exhausting, invisible standards I could not even name. To break out of this vicious cycle, I turned to four paradigm-shifting books that dismantled my view of success and identity. These texts exposed the hidden systems dictating my creative choices and revealed a radical mindset shift that shrunk my negative self-talk....

Filmmaker Cauleen Smith and photographer Danielle A. Scruggs join me to unpack how classical media subconsciously trains audiences to accept biases. In this episode, we discuss the radical frameworks required to dismantle these frameworks.   Listen to this conversation to discover how to identify the hidden forces limiting your own vision, walk away from spaces that drain your genius, and master a...

In this week's episode, we talk about the importance of rituals and why they are the key to you performing at your best. Learn how to design your own five-minute transition and how to turn chaotic energy into a focused flow.    Chapters 00:00 - The Musical Bridges of Childhood  03:32 - Waking the Creative Mind  05:03 - The Quirky Habits of Famous Artists  06:21 - The Reality of Productivity Routin...

What if the thing standing between you and your best work isn't talent but the pressure you keep putting on yourself to produce?    Painter Tiffani Glenn has built a body of work around a radical idea: Black women deserve to be seen in their full confidence and color. In this episode, Tiffani shares how mentorship opened the door to her first gallery show, why self-love is the foundation of everyt...

If you're constantly told that time is a predator and a scarce resource to conquer, you may need a perspective shift.     The Sea Glass Principle may just alleviate the pressure that leaves you trapped in a cycle of measuring your life against an impossible moving target. Tune in to hear how this principle and a new book may just change the way you look at your work and your worth.  Chapters 00:00...

Most creators would have folded under the pressure of the "beige box" industry, yet Sierra doubled down on a signature style that fuses modern curvature with the vibrant, ancestral pulse of Black culture. This episode uncovers the friction of being a risk-taker in a world that fears color and how she transitioned from the technical rigors of building construction to painting emotional landscapes w...

If you've wanted to start a newsletter, let's get into it! We break down the technical barriers of platforms like Substack and Kit, while stripping away the myth that you need to be perfect to start. Stop letting your wisdom gather dust and discover how trusting your own voice creates the body of work you were always meant to lead.   Chapters 00:00 Opening the private vault of creative insights  0...