Keep the Flow

Join my weekly email The Interval where I share what's inspiring me and what I'm up to: https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com If you feel like you’ve been hovering around the same place in your creativity for longer than you would like; if you feel like your creative career has plateaued, this one’s for you. This week on Keep the Flow we look at the idea of What Got You Here Won't Get You There as a...

What happens when we change our perspective, when we flip the subject upside down, when we entertain the notion that things could be different? This week on Keep the Flow we look at how artists and creators can flip the script on themselves and enrich their work and their authenticity. How do you think about authenticity? Please leave me a comment on the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/J1oDHvrjl...

If you’ve ever felt like you’re putting off creating because of something you think you need to do or buy first, this one’s for you.  This week on Keep the Flow I'm tackling the pitfall of putting off our creative pursuits because somehow we feel like the conditions are not ideal. I'm using myself as an example since I'm away from home and trying to keep up with the podcast and YouTube channe...

Short but sweet. This was a quick 'n' dirty recording I did while visiting in Virginia. We get into the idea of quitting a creative outlet. I tell the story of my brush with quitting, how I found my way back and ultimately how we, as creatives, need to figure out a way to function in this world that allows us to survive financially and thrive creatively. f you'd like to join the growing family of...

Bored? Good. This week on Keep the Flow we look at 3 ways we can leverage boredom to unleash our imagination, curiosity and hone our problem solving skills. Let's all get bored! If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Books mentioned: Sacred Rest by Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD Podcasts mentioned: Mel Robbins Podcast with Dr. K Deals: Free Trail on Riversid...

If you ever feel like your self-worth is tied to your creative successes and failures, this episode is for you. This week we explore the creative's ego, process vs. results, fixed vs. growth mindset and 5 ways to hop off the Ego-Coaster.™ As I mentioned in this episode, I've been listening to Steve Martin's book Born Standing Up on Audilble. If you'd like to get a 30 day free trial of Audible goto...

It can be easy to misplace your priorities and forget why we're even putting the time and energy into this whole creativity thing at all.  This week on Keep the Flow, I get into the big WHY behind all of our efforts and struggles. Do we need to create? Is necessity really the mother of invention and if so, should we not be asking invention - who's your daddy? Examples from Charles and Ray Eam...

This week on Keep the Flow, we get into the idea of being able to choose our thoughts as creative people. Ideas are a kind of thought, so to get good at dealing with our ideas we have to get good at dealing with our thoughts. We look at the relationship between cognitive flexibility and brain plasticity and what impact our environment has on our mental bandwidth. Put your thinking caps on. 70% OFF...

This week on Keep the Flow we get into the balancing act of hard skills vs. soft skills: knowing how to do a thing vs. knowing why we do the thing. There are many ways to look at this equation as applied to creativity. Let's traverse the rabbit-hole together, shall we? Patreon: https://patreon.com/scottmclemore Music: https://scottmclemore.bandcamp.com Newsletter - The Interval: https://subscribe....

So boring! But is repetition useful to creatives? This week we get into how we can harness the power of repetition to make our ideas more impactful, digestible and manufacture expectations... which we can then defy. (The photo is from inside Harpa in Reykjavik, showing the intricate pattern of Ólafur Elíasson's design.) Catch up on Hiking with Penny over at my Patreon. Follow for free or pick a ti...

In this episode I explore the idea of infusing ourselves into our creative work... and how to figure out who we actually are creatively? Videos mentioned: David Carson at Fabrica: https://youtu.be/KugSqW6FDRQ John Cusak in Say Anything: https://youtu.be/Pvuv2sn5fDQ If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Try Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu Try Blinkist...

This week I get into the feeling of having lost our mojo. Why this happens. Can we prevent it? And what we can do to get it back. Trigger warning: Episode mentions slow cooked pork. Videos mentioned: BBC - Mondrian with Jason Moran: https://youtu.be/05KLW-xsoxE Netflix - Abstract with Christof Niemann: https://youtu.be/q_k8fVNzbGU Live in Reykjavik - [Free Download] https://scottmclemore.bandcamp....

This week I interview pianist, composer, teacher and Zen Buddhist priest, Ástvaldur Zenki Traustason. We talk about his approach to the internal critic, how Zen influences the way he plays and the role of humor in Zen Buddhism. Ástvaldur's links: https://www.zen.is/ https://www.zenki.is/ His grandparents on Spotify: https://songwhip.com/leikbraedur If you'd like to join the growing family of Patro...

In this episode I get into the enormous question of "what do we want?" as creative people, the impact of social media and the importance of having a mission statement. Links to relevant videos: Jeff Goldblum on Colbert: https://youtu.be/hbnUGrtzcLc?si=ClyBQANHDCqM3TcL&t=173 David Bowie interview: https://youtu.be/JRtZc_Nmo5w?si=o8mZdIpLI5TggFVY Jack Conte at SXSW: https://youtu.be/5zUndMfMInc?...

In the 2nd interview of this podcast, I'm joined by Pat Rosario, known on Instagram as numberfoursofttaco. She's an artist and printmaker living in Tennessee. This is also the first episode that was captured on video, so why not make a YouTube channel? https://youtu.be/K1rlUnGASAA Pat's links: https://www.instagram.com/numberfoursofttaco/ https://www.etsy.com/shop/thepatpress If you'd like to join...

Pure imagination ain't just for Willie Wonka. In this episode we look at how we can use this powerful tool to inspire new ideas. If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Books I recommend: Show Your Work by Austin Kleon The Creative Act by Rick Rubin Check tour dates for Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio: http://sunnagunnlaugs.com Try Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu...

In this episode we get into the things that get in our way, that completely derail us, or even that just annoy us or make us angry - and how we can turn them to our advantage and use them to power our best work. If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Videos mentioned: Michael Cain - Use the Difficulty Podcasts mentioned: Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso on A...

Be more like Penny, my dog. Instead of panicking when we are in unfamiliar territory - take a big long sniff. In this episode we get into how to embrace the chance to explore something new and how to prepare for the unexpected. If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Books mentioned: Show Your Work by Austin Kleon Try Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu Tr...

How do we keep showing up even when we don't feel like it? And how do we know when we actually need a break - as opposed to just being lazy? If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Books mentioned in this episode: Atomic Habits by James Clear Show Your Work by Austin Kleon Ness Labs overview of Creative Burnout Try Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu Try B...

In this episode we'll look at the role of meaning in art, and 6 ways to harness ambiguity to create engaging work that allows for multiple interpretations. If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Books mentioned in this episode: The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel Podcasts mentinoed in this episode: Creative Pep Talk with Andy J. Pizza Videos mentioned in...

For the first of hopefully many interviews on Keep the Flow, I'm joined by drummer and composer Emre Kartari . Topic range from his journey from Ankara, Turkey to his creative process to how he draws inspiration from film and much more. If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Emre's website: https://www.emrekartari.com/ Emre's music: Perpetual Anxiety O...

Creative decision making: How to trust your feelings over external indicators Here's a story of when I first started driving to illustrate how we can sometimes put too much stock in external indicators instead of trusting our gut. If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Books mentioned in this episode: Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelly Try Audi...

In this episode I offer some tips for making a living with our creative abilities and fill you in on some of my back story. Like dropping out of high school to go on the road with a rock band and working as a designer in New York. Photo used in episode art by Sam Dan Truong. Instagram: @samtruong02 If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way: Join my Patreon Books mentioned...

Productivity and creativity are like yin and yang. We need both to do our work. This episode looks at 5 ways to use productivity to supercharge our creative workflows. Try Blinkist with my affiliate link: http://blinkist.o6eiov.net/ZdvkYR Try audiobooks with Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu Books mentioned in this episode: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin https://amzn.to/3SlRGeh Listen to my music o...

Curiosity is the crucial instinct which drives us to explore, combine, reconfigure, refigure, refine and reflect.  In this episode we look at how to reclaim our curiosity for the purposes of finding more fuel to drive our creative engines. Try Blinkist with my affiliate link: http://blinkist.o6eiov.net/ZdvkYR Try audiobooks with Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu Books mentioned in this episode...