Follow Your Curiosity: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Creativity.

Have you ever found yourself getting excited about a new topic, hobby, or idea, only for someone close to you to say, "That doesn't really sound like you"? Welcome to Follow Your Curiosity! In this dispatch from the Creative Closet, we are diving into integrity—the second area of practice in the Restorative Creativity framework. We often think of integrity as living by our moral values, but true i...

Have you ever talked yourself out of asking for an opportunity because you decided in advance that the answer would be no? Welcome to Follow Your Curiosity! My guest this week is #1 New York Times bestselling writer Tony Lee. With nearly forty years of professional writing experience across comics, television, audio dramas, and novels, Tony has written for iconic franchises like Doctor Who, Spider...

Have you ever looked at your life and realized that while everything is functional on paper, you aren't actually present for it? Welcome to Reports from the Creative Closet! In this dispatch, I'm sharing one of the biggest reasons we feel so drained: we've built a system that treats human beings like machines, and then we do it to ourselves all over again when we get home. If you are tired of livi...

What if you didn't actually lose your childhood imagination, but simply stopped giving yourself permission to use it? Welcome to Follow Your Curiosity! In this episode, I'm joined by Haitian-born poet, educator, publisher, and cultural curator Enzo Silon Surin. Enzo is the author of American Scapegoat and When My Body Was a Clenched Fist, the founder of Central Square Press, and an instructor at t...

What is the one decision, pitch, or ticket you’ve been putting off because you’re terrified of what might happen—or what might not? Welcome to Curiosity Clinic: Proceed at Your Own Risk! When I set up this series, it never occurred to me that anyone would ask a question about my life. But listener Michael sent in a big one: "What's one curiosity you followed that ended up changing the direction of...

Have you ever stood in the middle of a room full of cardboard packing boxes, felt completely paralyzed by the sheer volume of stuff, and realized you needed a way to bypass the dread?   Welcome to the very first actual episode of the Curiosity Clinic: Proceed at Your Own Risk! This is a brand-new, low-pressure playground built for perfectionists who want to take a break from performative adulthood...

Have you ever shared a creative project that you felt really good about, only to have someone else's casual criticism completely crush your joy and send you into a downward spiral?   In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I’m sharing a heartbreaking online post that has been on my mind all week. It’s from a grown man who tried music production, had fun, and loved his first creation—until...

Consider this your official invitation to exit performative adulthood for a few minutes and play in the sandbox of the unknown. This brand-new series is a low-pressure space for the weird, confusing, and delightfully trivial questions that pop into your head when you're supposed to be doing something else.   Episodes will release here and on YouTube as time and interest allow.   What’s your weirde...

Have you ever faced a moment where your life was brought to a complete halt, and you realized you needed something deeper than distractions to survive?   This week, my guest is documentary photographer and artist Nathalie Latham, whose life took a dramatic turn when she was diagnosed with stage-three cancer at age 39. Nathalie joins me to share her extraordinary story of how she used oil pastels a...

Have you ever looked at your life and realized that while everything is "okay" on paper, you feel like you're speaking a completely different language than everyone around you?   In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, we’re looking at what happens when we challenge our idea of what "normal" is. From the culture shock of a Doctor Who convention to growing up in a family that didn't underst...

What if the very thing you're trying to avoid—making a mistake—was actually the signal that it was finally time to rest?   In this week's conversation, I'm talking with artist Jackie Haynes. We talk about why the rigid discipline of adulthood often makes us fear the very "rinsing" of our skills that leads to new growth. From her more than seventeen years building an indestructible costume business...

Have you ever tried to force yourself into a new habit through sheer willpower, only to end up exhausted and paralyzed a week later?   In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I'm exploring the High Expectations Trap. We talk about the deep-seated cultural belief that change only happens through hard work and discipline—and how that belief actually triggers our internal surveillance system...

When was the last time you actually met you? Not the role you perform for your family, your job, or your community, but the version of you that exists when no one else is watching?   In this week's conversation, I'm talking with playwright and actress Anne Odeke. We talk about why the rigid discipline of adulthood often acts like a clamshell that keeps our real selves hidden and how to find the me...

Have you ever had a brilliant "Aha!" moment about your own behavior, only to find yourself repeating the same pattern just a few days later?   In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I'm looking at the Insight Trap. We talk about why understanding your patterns isn't enough to actually change them—and why your brain is often "too well-trained" to stop self-monitoring just because you notic...

This episode discusses sensitive subjects, including psychiatric abuse, false memories, psychiatric over-medication, and mental health struggles involving self-harm.   What happens when a culture’s collective fear is weaponized against the very people seeking help?   In this week's conversation, I’m talking with my friend and author Jamie Lyn Weaver. Jamie’s new memoir, Locked in the Psych Ward, c...

Have you ever looked at your life and realized that while everything is "okay" on paper, you feel like you're just playing a role?   In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I'm diving into the Performance Trap. We talk about why the modern world is obsessed with optimization and metrics—and how that obsession is actually stripping us of our humanity. From the "proceduralization" of our com...

What happens when you realize the very things meant to connect us are actually stealing your creative spark?   This week, we conclude our special 30th-anniversary archive release with actor Paul McGann. Originally recorded in 2020, this conversation remains a vital guide for anyone trying to navigate a creative life without losing their humanity to the digital machine.   Paul shares his prolific j...

Have you ever told yourself you don’t have a creative bone in your body?   This week, we’re looking at why that belief is a trap—and why it’s almost certainly a lie you were taught to believe. In this Report from the Creative Closet, I explore why we’ve narrowed the definition of creativity so far that we’ve lost sight of our own resourcefulness, adaptation, and meaning-making.   It’s an invitatio...

What happens when the "masterpiece" you expected turns out to be just the beginning of a very different journey?   In this first part of a special release from the archives, I’m sharing the beginning of my landmark conversation with the legendary Paul McGann. Recorded in May 2020 and originally released in August 2020, this was Paul’s first-ever podcast interview. While he has hosted many shows si...

What if the very thing you think is "childish" is actually the life skill you need most right now?   In this "Report from the Creative Closet," I’m looking at the fear of uncertainty that keeps so many adults stuck. We discuss why we’ve become so uncomfortable with open-endedness and why we feel like we need a manual for everything—even for taking a break.   I share the "Obsolete Child" philosophy...

What do you do when the world tells you "no" for seven years straight?   This week, I’m talking with legendary TV and film producer Phil Segal. With a 38-year career that includes everything from Twin Peaks and SeaQuest DSV to Deadliest Catch, Phil is perhaps best known to sci-fi fans as the man who fought for nearly a decade to bring Doctor Who back to the screen in 1996.   Phil shares how climbi...

What happens when you spend so much time being "reliable" that you forget how to be meaningful?   In this third installment of Reports from the Creative Closet, I’m exploring the "Be Good" trap. We often learn very early that being predictable and agreeable is safer than being fully alive, but that safety comes at a high price.   I discuss the Traffic Rule Covenant—a look at how we use rules to re...

What happens when you realize that "anything you want to be" actually includes the thing people told you wasn't practical?   In this week's conversation, I’m talking with my good friend Katie DeBonville. Katie is an emerging author whose new book, Grace Notes, explores the intersection of music, memory, and the courage it takes to speak your mind.   Katie shares the story of her legendary stand-of...

Have you ever realized that "adulting" has become a fancy word for getting really, really good at ignoring your own signals?   In this week's Report from the Creative Closet, I’m exploring the eerie reality that we aren't actually "lost"—we just forgot where we put ourselves. I’m sharing why that "force of will" you had as a five-year-old is the key to breaking free from the mask that is currently...

What is the one question that drives every single thing you create?   My guest this week is the self-described "happy hyphenate" Matthew Jacobs. Best known for contributing to major titles like Young Indiana Jones and The Emperor's New Groove and writing the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, Matthew joins me to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the TV movie’s release.   Matthew tells me about his "No...