Follow Your Curiosity: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Creativity.

This is one of the simplest tips, but one of the hardest to do, with ourselves most of all. Here's why we should give it a try anyway.   Could you leave a review?  It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Read this week's post: Get in Trouble   If you'd like to: Engage with your creative dreams with ease and jo...

My guest this week is Dominic Glynn, a prolific composer for film and television. Dominic got his start working on Doctor Who, and has provided music for titles as diverse as Red Dwarf and The Simpsons. Dominic tells me how his career began in the mid-80s as a self-taught musician, how incidental music works, what it’s like to write for an orchestra, and more.  Read this week's article, on why you...

Every last one of us got through school, and probably work, by knowing the answers most—if not all—of the time. Is that actually necessary? NOPE. And it can even hinder your creative process. I'll tell you why in this short episode.   Could you leave a review?  It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Read this...

Ellen Kaplan is an actress, writer, and director, and professor emerita of acting and directing at Smith College. She performs and directs internationally, in places like Pakistan, China, Israel, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, and she recently edited the new book Theater Responds to Social Trauma: Chasing the Demons. Ellen joins me to talk about her work in and out of the classroom, deali...

We're all told that we have to finish the things we start. But is that true? NOPE. I'll tell you why in this short episode. Could you leave a review?  It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Read this week's post: What tech has taken from us, and how to get it back .   If you'd like to: Engage with your creati...

It's so easy to keep doing the same thing, or even to actively avoid taking the unknown path. The courageous option is usually the one with the bigger payoff, though. I look at the difference in this short episode. Join me for a free "Permission to Play" workshop on May 5, 2024 (repeated on May 11, 2024) at 1pm eastern! It’s easy for adults to forget that it’s okay to play, and that lack of play c...

Domenic Sciortino is a creative powerhouse. By day, he’s a barber. Much of the rest of the time, he’s an artist, musician, and now, a talent buyer for a local entertainment venue in Pennsylvania. Dom was one of my first guests on the podcast, and I’m thrilled to have him back to talk about the intersection of art and commerce, with stops at creative courage (specifically, the courage to fail in an...

One of the hardest things to do when we've created something is to leave room for other people to see it through their own lens. I share some thoughts on why it's a good idea to step back, and how to know which opinions are worth listening to, in this short episode. Could you leave a review?  It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previo...

On January 3, 2019, I took a huge leap and launched the Follow Your Curiosity podcast. Five years later, to no one’s amazement as much as mine, I’m still going strong. I wanted to look back at what I’ve learned since 2019, so I asked my friend Domenic Sciortino, who interviewed me back then, to come back and do it again. Together, we look at how the show got started, what initially gave me the ide...

What happens when we let our creativity lapse? You may think there's no effect on us, but you'd be wrong. I explain in this short episode. Read my article on lapsed creativity here . If you recognize yourself here, I'd love to hear your story and learn from your experience. If you can spare 30 minutes, contact me and we'll set something up! Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previ...

Raquel Drosos started writing when she was five, and has rarely stopped. As a teenager, she wrote and published three young adult novels under her maiden name, Raquel George. Games of Chance is her first book for adults.  She also blogs about parenting and the creative process. Raquel talks with me about the intersection between acting and writing, plotting vs. writing by the seat of your pants, t...

It's easy to think of "normal" as an insult, or at least not something to aspire to. You might want to rethink your perceptions of normal, though. I explain why in this short episode. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Please leave a review , and in it, tell us how you embrace normal. Join my free creative community, The Spark ! We celebrate each other...

Alex Poppe decided when she was in her 20s to leave her corporate job and become an actor, with no acting experience at all. After acting for 12 years, she followed her travel instincts, becoming certified to teach English overseas and moving to multiple countries, including Iraq, to pursue teaching and humanitarian work, and writing. Alex is the author of four works of fiction: Duende, Jinwar and...

My guest this week is Kerry Malawista, a psychoanalyst and writer who uses writing to heal. She’s the co-director of the New Directions in Writing project, which offers programs in writing from a psychological perspective. Her publication credits include the Washington Post, New York Times, and Delmarva Review, which nominated her for a Pushcart Prize. Her first novel, Meet the Moon, focuses on a...

Do you give yourself credit for your creativity? A lot of us don't, including people you wouldn't expect. You really should recognize your own creativity regularly—I'll explain why in this short episode. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Please leave a review , and in it, tell us how you recognize your creativity—or how you'd like to. Join my free cre...

Kevin Carey came to writing and filmmaking later in his career, but has wasted no time producing a wide range of poetry, fiction, and documentaries, including a crime novel, Murder in the Marsh, and a middle grade novel, Junior Miles and the Junkman. He’s also the coordinator of creative writing at Salem State University in Massachusetts, where he teaches intro and upper level creative writing cou...

It sounds so simple, but we hardly ever let ourselves be happy, especially with our work. Why is that a problem? I explain in this super short episode. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Please leave a review , and in it, tell us about a time when you let yourself be happy. Join my free creative community, The Spark ! We celebrate each other's creative...

Tim Myers does a bit of everything: he’s a writer, songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University, where he teaches writing. We got together to talk about the nature of creativity, which Tim calls a “sacred mystery,” including everything from the way our childhood creativity is changed by the culture as we become adults, the necessary role of play in the crea...

Folks who consider themselves creative often have a REALLY hard time with structure, but it can be one of your best allies. I explain why in this short episode. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Please leave a review , and in it, tell us about a time when structure helped you. Join my free creative community, The Spark ! We celebrate each other's crea...

Marc Kaye calls himself a “restless creative”—a musician, writer, and comedian who loves to tell stories and make people laugh. He also, through his company, VitalConex, uses those skills to help develop the vital connections needed for focused, united teams and creative problem solving. Marc tells me how—and why—he took the leap into stand-up, how his comedy and his writing skills have influenced...

Setting resolutions can be a recipe for disappointment—or, if you've set appropriate expectations, a recipe for success. I explain the difference in this short episode. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Please leave a review , and in it, tell us about a time when lowered expectations made a difference. Join my free creative community, The Spark ! We c...

Gary Russell has done a bit of everything in media, from acting when he was young to writing fanzines to writing for Doctor Who Magazine to working for the BBC to co-founding Big Finish Productions, which produces a variety of audio dramas for various TV series including Doctor Who, The Prisoner, Dark Shadows, and more. Gary and I talk about his journey from one opportunity to the next as a “profe...

It seems like the simplest, most obvious thing, but the fact is, we don't always listen. Changing that could change your life. I'll tell you more in this short episode. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Please leave a review , and in it, tell us about a time when listening made a difference. Join my free creative community, The Spark ! We celebrate ea...

Serial podcaster Jesse Jackson hosts shows on topics from Doctor Who to Babylon 5 to John Hiatt to Bruce Springsteen. I met Jesse when I appeared on his show, Set Lusting Bruce, where instead of Springsteen, I talked about my deep affection for the Norwegian band a-Ha. I wanted to hear about Jesse’s creative adventures in both fandom and podcasting, and we talk about why you should stop thinking a...

Nothing in life is actually straightforward, including your creative process. I explain in this super-short episode. Want more tips? Check out this playlist with all my previous Creative Pep Talks! Please leave a review , and in it, tell us about a time when you were grateful for a detour. Join my free creative community, The Spark ! We celebrate each other's creative courage, and I'll be sharing...