Create Out Loud With Jennifer Louden
Jennifer Louden
Have you been saying "no" to that inner-voice begging you to be creative? Are you a working creative who has been feeling especially burned out? It's time to say yes. It's time to Create Out Loud.
Hosted by bestselling creative entrepreneur Jennifer Louden, Create Out Loud is a weekly show featuring conversations with creative people about the nitty-gritty of everyday creative life: like how to establish rituals and routines, how to navigate envy, and even how to MAKE MONEY. Yes, even the awkward stuff.
So tune in with us every week because it's time for YOU to Create Out Loud...
58 | Fulfilling a Calling with Lauren Fleshman
Join the conversation with one of the most decorated American distance runner Lauren Fleshman as we discuss the mission that drove her to write her NYT's bestselling memoir Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World. We talk about how to write when you have a big story to tell, how to write when depressed, and why it's okay to move on from something that has been your calling. Enjoy!
Episode resources:
Find out how to work with me here.
I'd love you to join me on one of my Retreats or
57 | It’s Not Too Late
Jen recently shared in a solo episode that she's been working her way through burnout and in this episode, she shares her new project and how she approached it in a new way to refind her spark. Is it possible to change our patterns and create out loud without burnout? Let's find out.
Episode resources:
Find out how to work with me here.
I'd love you to join me on one of my Retreats or Writing Intensives.
My book, Why Bother: Discover the Desire for What’s Next, is a great resource for learnin
56 | The Audacity to Nuture Your Spark
In this bonus episode of Create out Loud, I interview a force of nature, Shannon Watts. In case you don't know Shannon, she founded Moms Demand Action, now the largest women’s volunteer organization in America. She's been called a “summoner of women’s audacity,” named a Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People, a Forbes 50 over 50 Changemaker, and a Glamour Woman of the Year. She writes a popular substack https://shannonwatts.substack.com/about
I'm working as a book coach with Shannon on her ne
55 | Recovering From Creative Burnout
In this bonus episode of Create out Loud, I explore burnout, the power of quitting, and how your desires are allowed to change - in fact, they must be allowed to morph and grow with you or you will fall into Why Bother.
Many of us were raised to believe if you start a project, you have to finish it or you are a failure. But that isn't true! But how to know when to quit, when to change your focus?
I'll explore that and more in this short but juicy episode with lots of personal updates includi
54 | 7 Best Tips for Creating Out Loud with Jen Louden
In this last episode of season 2 of Create Out Loud, I share with you some tips for creating out loud, making your thing, finding your desire to create, putting pen to paper (and brush to canvas)... Listen to the episode to learn: What it means to give yourself permission to be seen as a creator Why quantity over quality can help you produce better work My top tip for picking a project up again when it’s been forgotten How to be uncomfortable with uncertainty How to create a daily habit withou
53 | Create + Climate + You = Hope & Action with Jen Louden
Does the thought of the climate crisis decimating our world fill you with thoughts of doom and gloom… Thoughts like: No matter what I do it doesn’t matter… Why bother with ANY of my desires if there won’t be a world to live in?... I’m powerless in the face of large corporations that continue to ignore their impact on the planet so they can profit… Take a deep breath. And another one. In this episode of Create Out Loud, I talk about one of the topics that moved me to write my book, Why Bother? Di
52 | Embracing The Fallow That Follows A Creative Project with Andrea Scher
This episode is all about how seeking wonder can help you bother again and embracing the natural fallow period after you finish a big project.I’m joined by Andrea Scher, author of Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy, to talk about how to fill up your creative well when its run dry.. We talk about the power of mixing up your routines to try something new – going for a walk and finding a new plant, taking pictures, going to a new restaurant – as a way of sparking cr
51 | Give Not Earning the Middle Finger with Ash Ambirge
Not everyone listening to this podcast wants to make money by being creative, but a larger number of people believe that they CAN’T make money from creative pursuits. That is NOT true! I’m joined by the author of The Middle Finger Project and Meat and Hair, Ash Ambirge, to give a big ol’ middle finger to the idea that you can’t make money by being creative. We talk about how important it is to devote time to your happiness, how to manage multiple streams of creative income, and just how importa
50 | Solo Ecosystem Marketing with Jen Louden
Do you spend thousands on marketing, or hours researching trendy new marketing strategies… and it doesn’t move the needle forward? Then this episode of Create Out Loud is for you. In this episode, Jen Louden talks about the importance of ecosystem marketing. It’s all about finding out where your people are, and communicating with them there. Not to sell anything. Just to connect. Are you…. sweating just thinking about that?Are you thinking “that’s not me! I don’t do all that social media stuff?”
49 | Step Into Your Power Creatively and Financially with Paco De Leon
We can be remarkably uncomfortable discussing money, but what if we shifted our relationship with the topic by instead recognizing how money can facilitate freedom, power, and creative potential? This is Paco’s mission. As a creative, author, consultant, and coach, Paco is passionate about empowering people, particularly those who identify as women, to step into their power. On today’s show, Jen and Paco discuss: How business instincts can be artistic, creative, and fulfillingHow to make it as
48 | Eve Rodsky On How to Find Your Creative Unicorn Space
Work, relationships, kids, friends… Do you find that everything comes BEFORE your creative desires? Or has it been so long that you can’t remember what it’s like to take some time to just be curious, and play with creativity? Author Eve Rodsky joins Jen Louden in discussing how our patriarchal society has carved away the time and space women need to pursue their creative passions, and how to reclaim that creative space – your unicorn space. Eve Rodsky has spent years researching the hours of unp
47 | Susan Shapiro on Getting Published in Any Genre
Do you have to choose between writing for passion and writing for pay? Getting paid to write seems like a fantasy to most, and getting paid to write something you are truly passionate about seems even more far-fetched. Bestselling author Susan Shapiro joins Jen Louden in discussing what it takes to write what you’re passionate about AND get published in different genres. Susan Shapiro is the bestselling author/coauthor of 17 books across multiple genres. She has written novels, memoirs, poetry,
46 | Jen Louden: How To Start When You’re Totally Blocked or Afraid
Have you ever had a grand idea for a creative project, only to never actually start it? You get excited about your big (or small) project, but you can’t wrap your head around how to start it. In your mind it’s perfect, so how can it ever be as good in reality? Why do you feel fear and dread when you think about starting?Starting a new project can be one of the hardest parts of the creative process. Some of the greatest writers of our generation have talked about the fear of writer's block. Nobel
45 | Creativity’s Biggest Gift: Helping us Unlock Our Deepest Desires with Sarah Flick
What are your deepest desires? What is the mystery between you and those desires? Who belongs with you explore those desires? Even though she wrote and published as part of her career as a psychiatrist, Sarah Flick never considered herself a real writer. Even though she had wanted to write since she learnt how to read at three, a busy professional and personal life got in the way.That is, until she attended a retreat with me! Sarah is my first long time student and client to be on the show and s
Practical Ways To Increase Your Creative Productivity with Sam Bennett
In addition to being an actress, improviser, and best-selling author, Sam Bennett is a highly respected creative coach whose business, The Organized Artist, has inspired thousands to channel their creative urges into RESULTS. Sam is the author of ‘Get it Done’ From Procrastination to Creative Genius in 15 minutes a day, a wonderful book for creatives on how to be more CREATIVE, CONSISTENT, SUSTAINABLE and SANE. The beauty of Sam's work is that she's her number one customer - as a wildly creativ
43 | Find The Courage To Be Honest In Your Creativity with Heather Havrilesky
Has your work ever been greeted by a firestorm of furiously polarized tweets, both in fierce support and rampant opposition to what you have to say? In addition to being scathingly funny, bitingly honest, and sharply observant, author, essayist, and humorist Heather Havrilesky's work has always been provocative. And her latest memoir, Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage does not disappoint. By writing honestly (and hilariously) about motherhood, marriage, and the contemporary female ex
42 | Jen Louden: Easy Ways To Start, Stick With, and Finish Your Creative Projects
One of the questions I’m asked often is, ‘how do I stick with a project?’ followed closely by, ‘how do I know when a project is done?’ We want to see our creative endeavors through to completion, but it’s not always easy to do or be done. This is particularly true if a project has hit the skids or we’ve lost our way in the mushy middle or it’s a big damn project that takes a honking long time. Seeing your creative endeavors through to a conclusion (notice I did not write THE conclusion), is ab
41 | How Sue Monk Kidd Listens to her Soul (And You Can Too)
Sue Monk Kidd is one of the world's most beloved writers, occupying a rare intersection of critical and commercial success writers dream of. Perhaps most recognized for her #1 New York Times Bestsellers, The Secret Life of Bees, which went on to become the basis for a blockbuster movie, and The Invention of Wings, her earlier works, When the Heart Waits, an autobiographical account of a spiritual awakening, and Dance of the Dissident Daughter, a memoir that explores feminist theology, were grou
40 | Find And Hone Your Creative Voice w/ Lisa Congdon
Have you seen those beautiful, colorful bottles of Method Soap at Target? They're most likely the work of today's guest, Lisa Congdon, who is one of the world's most recognizable graphic designers, a fine artist, and an illustrator who creates for clients such as Amazon, Comme des Garcons, Crate & Barrel, REI, and MoMA. She’s also the author of ten books, including Art Inc: The Essential Guide to Building Your Career as an Artist, and Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working You
39 | Yes, You Can Make Your Creativity A Business w/Pamela Slim
Pamela Slim is a dynamic beloved thought leader and has been in the trenches with creative businesses for decades. Her breakout book Escape From Cubicle Nation hit the scene in 2009, and since then she’s launched many creative projects, including founding a beloved brick-and-mortar small business incubator, The Main Street Learning Lab at K’é, and two more books, Body of Work, and her latest The Widest Net. Get Pam's free workbook: https://pamelaslim.com/the-widest-net/If you want to connect wi
38 | Practical Ways To Get ”Unstuck” In Your Creativity w/Kim Hermanson
Creativity psychologist Kim Hermanson almost died in her 20s. After a brutal near-death, head-on collision, Kim was laid-out in the ICU when a nurse whispered for her to "imagine herself floating on a cloud," and she immediately felt the pain and trauma of the horrific ordeal leave her body. This completely shifted Kim's understanding of the power of our brains and completely shifted her path.Since that experience, Kim has become a highly respected thought leader in the world of creativity psych
37 | Navigating Rejection In Your Creativity w/Devi Lockwood
Whether it's on the page, on the canvas, or on the screen, the essence of creativity has always been storytelling. And if anyone understands the power of Storytelling, it's Devi Lockwood, who traveled the world on her bike, documenting the stories of everyday people whose lives have been affected by the increasingly problematic issue of climate change. That journey became a bestselling book: 1001 Voices on Climate Change. Learn how Devi fused her passions for social justice and creativity, "stum
Housekeeping Announcement!
Hey Create Out Loud fan! A little peak behind the curtain - we're doing some maintenance with our podcast feed, so we're doing a little test announcement to make sure we're keeping the train on the tracks! As all of you know as creatives, change is a good thing, but sometimes requires a little bit of re-orienting when we pivot. No action required on your end. In the meantime, thanks for being a Create Out Loud fan, and stay tuned for this Tuesday's amazing episode with climate change activist an
36 | Transform Your Work Into A Conversation Starter w/ Celeste Headlee
How many Opera singers/wellness experts/radio broadcaster/racial reconciliation thought leaders do you know? You'll meet one today: the remarkable Celeste Headlee. Celeste is a 3-time bestselling author, including of her most recent book Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism — And How To Do It, who specializes in studying, articulating, and teaching about the complicated nuance of human conversation. Whether that's professionally, creatively, or even culturally, I promise th
35 | Practical Strategies For Knowing YOU Are Enough
Comparison is the thief of joy. It may be a cliché, but it is profoundly true, especially when it comes to our creativity. Ask yourself now: when will YOU actually feel like you're "enough" when it comes to your work. When you win a regional award? A Pulitzer prize? An Oscar? Stop waiting for your pat on the back. Pat your own back.Today, we discuss::35 - Why we "despair" when we compare2:05 - Understanding and normalizing "the gap" of creativity4:51 - Understanding "conditions of enoughness"8:4
34 | How To Honor The Classics But Forge A New Path In Our Creativity w/ Maria Tatar
One of the most important evolutions in creative history is the emergence of a female voice. Despite cultural sociologists of old focusing on men, Maria is among a number of important voices who can recognize that we can both acknowledge, even honor those historic works, but invite the female voice to break them apart. Do you ever feel overly constricted by ancient, patriarchal models of storytelling? Then THIS is the episode for you. Maria and Jen also discuss:10:14 - How to avoid culturally re
33 | Giving Yourself Permission To Return To Old Projects
The pressure to have to create, to write everyday, to make our creativity a "job" is relentless. But what if we gave ourselves SPACE to pick up a project and put it back down? What if we didn't feel shame when because we have to take a break from our work. If you've been in the creative pressure cooker lately, THIS episode is for you.Thanks to Podchaser: gl8o4U4IdQiuyy4n4ZvF--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support
32 | Infusing Our Life Experience (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) Into Our Work w/ Ruth Ozeki
Though she's now considered one of America's most important novelists, Ruth Ozeki didn't think of herself as a writer until her 30s. Before that, she had stumbled into a career editing schlocky, low-budget Japanese horror movies, struggling to find her way. But wisely, she knew, even then, that the experience would serve her. Because ALL experiences end up serving us in the end, right? Among other things, Ruth and Jen discuss:3:00 - Inquiry-based creativity and writing.7:12 - Allowing vulnerabil
31 | Marketing Strategies To Reach Your Audience Directly w/ Catherine Babb-Muguira
When we think of "self-help" we typically think of cheery, bohemian women talking about astrology and crystals, but what if we told you that Edgar Allen Poe - you know, the tragic alcoholic literary genius - was one of America's most valuable self-help voices? Today, we chat Catherine Babb-Muguira about her process of falling in love with Mr. Poe, and he pulled her out of her own dark hole. Drawing deeply on his works and life, she takes the familiar image of Poe in a new and surprising directio
30 | Giving Yourself Permission To ”Do You” In Your Creativity
So often, we get caught up in the idea of who we should be as a creative. I should be a best selling author...I should be an award winning filmmaker...I should be giving my Nobel-prize winning speech. But what about who we already ARE? Even the greats wrestle questions of creativity identity and imposter syndrome, but remember, at the end of the day, YOU are your own greatest create superhero. Learn how to embrace yourself fully as you dive into the creative pool.Visit https://jenniferlouden.com
29 | Navigating Creative Partnerships with Crystal Egli and Parker McMullen Bushman
Crystal and Parker are some of the most exciting voices in the world of female-founded tech startups, and their brilliance lies beyond their product. The two of them have sharply navigated the very white and very male world of tech by following their north star - business that focuses on diversity, ethics, and inclusivity. Like their own business philosophy, their company Inclusive Journeys is focusing on inclusivity by developing a digital green book to rate business on their ability to accommo
Fulfilling Our Personal Responsibility To Create w/ Beth Pickens
Beth Pickens is one of the most practical and grounded creative coaches working today. Though she herself doesn't identify as particularly creative, Beth CHAMPIONS creative instincts and argues that when creative people don't fulfill their inner-need to create, their health, well-being, and general productivity will suffer. Need a boost? THIS is the episode for you. Jen and Beth also discuss...1:00 - Taking a STAND for your art.2:39 - Creating art isn't optional, it's essential for your health.4
27 | How To Avoid Toxic Comparison In Our Creative Life w/ Keri Smith
Though her work centers on wild, uninhibited creative acts, Keri Smith is a self-proclaimed introvert. The hugely popular bestselling author Wreck This Journal is the first to admit that our creative needs to be a sacred choice, an intentional process that we commit to, despite the voices around us (and in our head), telling us not to. Keri and Jen get vulnerable as they discuss the gap between their public and private personas, and the very real looming specter of burnout that challenges every
🦃 Happy Thanksgiving From Create Out Loud! 🦃
If you're looking to find more gratitude in your creative life, today's episode is for you!Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing,falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s),and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennif
26 | How To Market Yourself As A Creative w/ Toya Gavin
For better or worse, so much of the creative life relies on marketing, which can feel icky. But for Toya Gavin, who has brilliantly built her life coaching business through her own ingenious marketing strategies, it doesn't have to feel icky. Instead, it can feel social, constructive, and even beneficial for those who deserve to hear about your endeavors. Though Jen and Toya might both struggle with that instinct to want to be the invisible creative, today's creator economy just doesn't support
25 | How To Make Personal Experiences Universal For Your Audience
Laura Davis is the author of six non-fiction books, which have been translated into 11 languages and sold more than 1.8 million copies, that focus primarily on healing, recovery, and the beautiful scars that the challenges of our lives leave behind. In the course of her long career as a communicator, she has been a columnist, a talk show host, and a radio news reporter.Laura’ new book and first memoir, new book, and first memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, tells the story of her dramatic an
24 | Why Bother To Create At All?
"Why Bother" was the central question of Jen's last book, and so of course, it had to show up on the podcast! But today we go deep: why bother to create, at all? If you've faced creative failure, despair, or you feel like you're facing insurmountable cynicism, it may feel exhausting and impossible to create. Or even worse, it may feel pointless. And trust me, we get it.BUT, there are still a million reasons why the beautiful act of creation is often our way out, and we discuss those reasons toda
23 | Optimizing Your Creativity By Creating A Safe Space
It's hard enough to feel like "our best selves" when we're creating, but here's a little secret no one tells you: we won't, unless we foster a safe space and sacred space around our work! What does that REALLY mean? Tune in to find out.Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing, falling into compare and despair, managing the inner crit
22 | The Essential Need For Wonder In Our Creativity w/ Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of the New York Times best-selling illustrated collection of nature essays and Kirkus Prize finalist, WORLD OF WONDERS: IN PRAISE OF FIREFLIES, WHALE SHARKS, & OTHER ASTONISHMENTS (2020, Milkweed Editions), which was chosen as Barnes and Noble’s Book of the Year. She has four previous poetry collections, and her writing appears twice in the Best American Poetry Series, The New York Times Magazine, ESPN, Ploughshares, American Poetry Review, and Tin House.On to
21 | Oliver Burkeman On Accepting and Embracing Creative Limitations
Oliver Burkeman is an award-winning thought leader and the author of 4 bestselling books about time, happiness, and strategies for living our best lives. His new book, Four Thousand Weeks, is about making the most of our radically finite lives in a world of impossible demands, relentless distraction and political insanity (and 'productivity techniques' that mainly just make everyone feel busier).On today's show, Jen and Oliver connect over their complicated relationship with the term "self-help,
Season 2 Announcement and Trailer!
Hey Creatives! We are SO excited to be launching season 2 of Create Out Loud and our first episode drops this Tuesday with NYT Bestselling Author Oliver Burkeman. We have TONS of incredible conversations in the can, and we promise a season that's bigger, better, and bolder as we continue to create out loud! Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fe
20 | Jen’s Biggest ”A-Ha” Creativity Breakthroughs From Season 1
As much as YOU feel like you've learned a lot from season 1 of Create Out Loud, I promise you, Jen has learned JUST as much. In this very special episode, Jen's producer Jeff asks her some of HIS burning questions about Jen's biggest creative breakthroughs, and we through it back to some amazing moments with Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Rissi Palmer, and Angeline Boulley.Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:help you with some of the most
19 | Poet Kate Baer On Using Your Critics To Fuel Your Art
Bestselling poet Kate Baer has a beautifully truthful relationship with motherhood, with social media, with internet trolls, and with being a woman. It's wrestling with all of this that inspires her poetry, poetry women love (and some men are threatened by) because she tells the truth.Listen to how Kate uses her life, and her critics, to know her truth and develop her craft. It's incredibly brave. Among other topics, Jen and Kate also discuss:- How social media complicates creativity but also le
18 | Ashley Sumner On Letting Roadblocks fuel rather than derail Your Creativity
Shedding identities has been at the center of Ashley Sumner's creative journey and her company Quilt, and a good thing as she had to change her company's entire mission at the start of the pandemic.Ashley is the founder of a social media community Quilt dedicate to connection and self-care, creating a unique bridge between Jen's early work and Ashley's company Quilt. Jen and Ashley are both passionate about using story and connection to help women face the climate crisis without being crushed by
17 | Poet Maggie Smith: How To Be Honest In Your Creativity
For bestselling poet and author Maggie Smith, sometimes the secret behind making her poetry interesting, unexpected, and surprising comes to "making it weirder." Maggie's unapologetic, unabashed approach to her work is the reason her work has been read by everyone from Meryl Streep to Dr. Jill Biden.Maggie hits on something essential about successful creativity. How do we be truly honest in our work? Sometimes it means admitting that we DON'T want to write every day. Sometimes it means making su
16 | Novelist Laurie Frankel: Can you Love Putting your Work out As Much As Creating It?
Isn't it wonderful to hear widely celebrated NYT's best-selling novelists talk about shitty first drafts? Laurie's acclaimed new bestseller One Two Three "wrote hard," for her, and that's OK! For Laurie, the joy comes in the process, whether it's easy, hard, smooth, bumpy, or annoying - that complicated cocktail is what makes the creative process beautiful.And Laurie gets candid about the other side: PUBLISHING. Sometimes "Creating Out Loud," isn't our first instinct, but it's all apart of what
15 | Poet Tamkio Beyer On Creative Play And Freedom
Tamiko Beyer's acclaimed poetry collection Last Days, was assembled from a collection of poetry written over the course of decade, which speaks to Tamiko's sense of open-minded freedom and patience when it comes to work. For Tamiko, the creative process is all about leaving space for play and imagination. By relieving the pressure and intensity of "generating a product" when it comes to our work, we actually create more space to tell the truth and generate our best, most authentic work.In this
14 | Maggie Shipstead: The Creative Freedom To Get It Wrong... and Right!
Maggie Shipstead is an NYT-Bestselling author of three novels - Seating Arrangements, Astonish Me, and Great Circle (on many best-of lists for 2021) and her work has won a laundry list of awards. She's also written essays and travel articles like her piece for Modern Love. And like all of us, Maggie has to begin again, face the blank page, and watch projects die.Maggie's newest novel "Great Circle" follows pilot Marian Graves who will take to the sky and circumnavigate the globe at all costs - a
13 | Susan Piver: Open Your Heart To Your Creative Yearnings
All of us get caught up in the shoulds and I can't of our creative life, but Susan Piver has learned, through decades of meditation and practice, to disregard these inner voices. Susan regards all of her creative endeavors as art projects, a chance to get her hands in the clay of creativity and create something beautiful. Susan has learned to open her heart to the creative yearnings and she's passionate about helping other creatives approach their own work with the same level of curiosity and ge
12 | Lisa Cron: Using Story To Elevate Your Creativity And Change The World
Lisa cron is tired of staying quiet. As a bestselling author and widely celebrated story coach, Lisa has worked as a story consultant for decades with best-selling authors, major Hollywood studios, and taught at NYU and UCLA. And now, she's raising her story voice to help us all.Lisa's philosophies around story are deeply researched truths. She knows that understanding the mechanics of storytelling will help us become the best creatives we can be, but will also help us change the world, by eleva
11 | Annie Murphy Paul: Optimize Your Mind, Body, and Space for Peak Creativity
Annie Murphy Paul is one of the most interesting and acclaimed scientist writers working today, and her most recent book, The Extended Mind, may just fundamentally shift your relationship with your creativity and your brain forever.The Extended Mind is all about how our minds are not brain bound and by understanding all the ways we can - and must! - extend our minds, we can learn to work with the challenges of modern life that are so thinking heavy in entirely new ways. Hints: it's good to fidge
10 | Kirstin Neff: Why Fierce Self-Compassion Is Essential For Your Creative Life And Our World
How often do we sit down to face the blank page or canvas, only to get crippled by the paralyzing critic: "You can't do this, you're not good enough....WHY BOTHER?"What if, instead, you told yourself, "keep going, you've got this, your voice matters." This is the self-compassionate approach to creativity, and it's essential to your success.But some days, you need more. That’s where Kristen Neff’s work on fierce self-compassion comes in. Kristin Neff is the pioneer researcher of self-compassion a
9 | Grace Harry: Why Joy Is Essential For Creativity
From the outside, Grace Harry looked like she was living a dream life. A top executive at Def Jam records, married to Usher, hobnobbing with some of the world's most powerful voices in arts and culture, Grace was a powerhouse of creative collaboration and making music happen. But she wasn't happy. Deep down, she wasn't listening to her desires.Gracereinvented her life, leaving behind much of what made her well-known and paid the bills, and she makes her living as a "Joy Strategist." It may sound
8 | Elizbeth Hargrave: Turn Your Yearnings Into Creativity
Elizabeth Hargrave is one of the world's most respected tabletop game designers, and her bestselling, award-winning board game "Wingspan" came out of a simple desire: she was tired of playing games that wasn't about trolls, castles, and zombies. So guess what? She created her own, and it's about ornithology. Yep, birds.There is so much to learn about this act of defiance. If we yearn for something, chances are, MANY people do too. Elizabeth has since published three games and she's built a beaut
7 | Christa Couture: Transforming Trauma Into Creative Inspiration
Have you ever been told to "everything happens for a reason" or "things will get better in time" when something truly awful has happened to you?Singer/songwriter and author of How to Lose Everything Christa Couture can relate. Christa has an advanced degree in loss: the loss of her leg to cancer as a child, the lost of two children in their infancy, the loss of a marriage, and temporarily, her voice to thyroid cancer. How she could possibly be creative after such life-shattering tragedy? That's
6 | Angeline Boulley: Finding Self-Trust In Your Creativity & Journey
Do you feel like it's too late for your creative desires? For Angeline Boulley, her first major creative success came in her mid-50s, with her debut novel The Firekeeper's Daughter. In addition to debuting at #1 on the New York Times, being optioned by the Obama's for a Netflix TV adaptation, and being chosen for Reese Witherspoon's book club, the novel is celebrated for its honest and multi-layered portrayal of modern indigenous life. How did Angeline become such a literary lightning rod, espec
5 | Morgan Harper Nichols: Knowing, Embracing, & Honoring Your Audience
Morgan Harper Nichols wears many creative hats beautifully - poet, author, musician, self-taught illustrator, and entrepreneur. And like most of my guests, she has walked a wild and twisty road to find her current creative success. After struggling as a touring musician and freelancer, Morgan channeled her "hitting the bottom" moment into illustrated poetry that was an immediate surprise hit with girls and young women. Even though it wasn't her "immediate plan" for her creative life, she listene
4 | Pixar Story Experts On Saying Yes To Your Creative Calling
What would it take for you to turn down an offer from JJ Abrams (you know the guy who created Lost among other block-busters)? Ask Meg LeFavue, the Oscar-nominated writer of Inside Out, who had to do just that after committing to her creative calling to become a screenwriter. Meg LeFauve and her frequent writing partner and podcast co-host Lorien McKenna get extremely candid about the challenges and essential importance of committing to your artistic path and sticking with it.Listen in as we dis
3 | Anne-Laure Le Cunff: Releasing Creative Anxiety
Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an entrepreneur, and an ex-Googler turned neuroscience student who is leading the conversation around creative anxiety, mental wellness in our modern age, the delicate balance between productivity and creativity, and how we can use technology to make the world better. In today's amazing conversation, we talk releasing ourselves from the pressure or time anxiety, how to align our creative desires with our professional goals, and yes, even how to make money as a creative.Vis
2 | Rissi Palmer: Be Your Own Creative Gatekeeper & Save YOURSELF
If anyone understands "creative Rock Bottom," it's Award-winning singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer. After a top-charting, well-received debut album, Rissi entered a vicious court battle with her label, leading her to bankruptcy. After the heartbreak of seeing her own music video playing in the record store at the mall across from the retail store where she was working, Rissi knew it was time to take matters into her own hands. Rissi committed to creating out loud on her OWN terms.Now Rissi is one o
1 | Anne Lamott: Prayers, Love and Generosity for Your Creativity
Anne Lamott is one of our most celebrated creative and spiritual leaders, and for good reason. With 9 bestselling fiction and non-fiction books, including Bird By Bird which many celebrated creatives consider the best book about writing ever written, Anne's one of the wisest teachers about the creative life and definitely one of the funniest.In this episode, Anne offers you prayer, honesty, and ideas on how to change the channel from the critic to the creator. She shares that creative expression
Trailer: Create Out Loud
Do you have an inner-voice begging you to tap into your creativity, yearning to create, and for years, you've been telling it no? Or maybe creativity IS a part of your life and livelihood, and you still get scared, you still get stuck. Whoever you are, it's time for YOU to Create Out Loud.Welcome to Create Out Loud: Conversations w/ Creative People, hosted by bestselling author and creativity mentor Jennifer Louden. Every week, Jen will be chatting with some of the world's most interesting, thou