Gifted Underachievers

Some creatives, like the phenomenal Ben Shattuck and Jenny Slate, are so talented, cool, and amazing that it’s enough to give your Gifted Underachievers a serious case of life envy. Luckily, we’re too underachieving to pose a threat. Questions for Listeners * Do you know who we’re talking about? * Do you lurv them as much as we do? * If not, who do you lurv? Hop on over to the segment web page to...

There’s lots of talk about networking and community, and those are great for all kinds of things, like sharing information, creating connections, and finding collaborators. But Pat’s current experience with a major life event outside of work has sparked a deeper question: When your personal life goes sideways, does someone have your back? For many creatives who work alone, our spouses, partners, s...

For a few weeks, Pat has been needling James about an unhung picture in his office, never suspecting he’d take her advice. Then the unthinkable occurs—he hangs the picture up three minutes before we start taping the week’s segments. Martha Stewart would be proud of James, so why is Pat worried? Did James find a stud, or will the picture come crashing down? Is an unhung picture the sign of a messy...

From the Gifted Underachievers Lab: High-Value, Smaller Experiments with Examples. As creatives we can find ways to test out our little brainstorms, finding ways to become better at our art, try new business ideas, and explore our most significant obstacles. The intent is not to add more work to our already overflowing plates, but to generate ideas that we can quickly test the validity of and if w...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

All art forms cycle through phases and styles—fashion, dance, literature, visual arts, even acting. To wit: the ‘statuesque’ style of 18th-century actor John Kemble would have been laughed out of the theater today. And 21st-century literary agents don't want novels that open with long stretches of exposition (unless—maybe—the prose is stunning). But what if you want to write, act, or paint in a st...

This segment was born of a chat between Pat and James that began with Pat describing a documentary she watched on an Australian trauma cleaner, which then took a swervy path to a discussion of better understanding stress and how it impacts us emotionally and physically. In particular, Pat and James talk about allostatic load, allostatic overload, weathering, their impacts, and how we like to mitig...

In the wake of an event that occurred in the US on January 20th, James and Pat take stock of what’s gone right lately in their creative lives—call it a sitrep (situation report) or a shared gratitude meditation, it’s worth doing. Segment Questions (Hop on over to giftedunderachievers.substack.com to leave us your answers.) * What’s going right in your life? * Do you have a gratitude meditation or...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

A bright spark entered the Gifted Underachiever clubhouse and her name is Carrie McConkey. For many years, Carrie thought that her crazy career background made no sense. After working in the fields of interior design, fashion design, college recruiting, human resources, fundraising, image consulting, and many more, Carrie found her way to freelance writing—and everything finally fell into place. T...

In this segment, the Gifted Underachievers talk about taking the pause—not responding immediately with a yes or no to a project, an offer, or a trigger. If you’re not hard-wired to think carefully before you respond, what can you do? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Pat and James dive into music and how it can help or hinder creative work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Pat dazzles with yet another 1920s style cloche headband while James goes full delusional. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

In any creative field, it can be tempting to compare our situation with that of our peers. We discuss whether comparisons can help you move forward. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

James gets news on a recent pitch and Pat reports on an email from Canada Council for the Arts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

When your brand contains the word "underachievers," it's important to remember the "gifted" part. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Discover 3 weird obstacles to successfully applying for a creative grant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

The Gifted Underachievers take a break from the creative life to discuss those five weeks between the US Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

There’s no logical reason to listen to this segment—except to hear James’s Oscar-worthy impression of a barfly on her way to getting COPD. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

People say that cliché, stereotype, and platitudes have no place in any creative work in any creative domain. But is this always true even if it often is? Are there cliché and stereotype safe spaces? Are they subjective/ Context dependent? Do they, perhaps, honor the artists that came before us? Pat and James don’t really know but they have thoughts…and opinions…lots of opinions. Questions for You...