Beautiful Possibility by Gillian Jakob Kieser

The Beautiful Possibility podcast started as a seed of an idea, and now it's a real thing in the world. How bananas is that? Gillian shares the 6 lessons she's learned through the experience of starting the show, building momentum, and looking back on this creation.Some of Gillian's tips include:- Little by little, a lot can get done- How to learn to love deadlines (by setting loving deadlines)- You make the rules: how to remove "should" from your vocabularyRecommended reading: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver BurkemanMy editor Abigail Cerquitella—-If you enjoy this material and want more, you'll love Gillian's new book: 10,000 Doors: Finding your Life's Purpose Through Writing. It's now available on her website gillianjakobkieser.com.

Emily Sheehan is a Melbourne-based playwright and dramaturg whose plays have been published and performed all over Australia. She joins Gillian to talk about the process of coaxing a story into existence — the inspiration, the daily practice, and the many ways in which we co-create, interrogate, and refine our work.Emily is absolutely brilliant, and this episode will energize and inspire you. She speaks so beautifully about the very personal and non-linear process of discovering stories and themes that want to be explored, as well as the ups and downs of the writing life.Follow Emily on Instagram at @emilysheehan_ and definitely check out her podcast, Playwrights' Process podcast—-If you enjoy this material and want more, you'll love Gillian's new book: 10,000 Doors: Finding your Life's Purpose Through Writing. It's now available on her website gillianjakobkieser.com.

Walking the creative path can be a lonely experience. It's just you and your beautiful brain... against the outside world.But it doesn't have to be that way. Even if your work is solitary, you can build a support system (even just 1 person!) that can help you stay the course, navigate the difficult parts, and celebrate the wins along the way.Today Gillian is joined by her creative work BFF, Steph Trujillo (@themoneyflirt) to talk about the creative partnership they've formed to help them both do their work, be seen, and build their businesses. How do you do two project separately, together? Listen and find out.Steph TrujilloInstagramWebsitePodcastRelevant Experience PodcastIf you enjoy this material and want more, check out Gillian's book: 10,000 Doors: Finding your Life's Purpose Through Writing. It's available May 21, 2022. Sign up to Gillian's list at gillianjakobkieser.com to be the first to grab a copy when it drops!

Ambiguity is a fact of life. The more ambitious we are, the more we choose the uncharted path, the more we will be faced with ambiguity.That said, ambiguity can be veeeery uncomfortable.Learning to be with it, instead of "solve" it, can be a game changer of a skill to add to your creative toolbox. The more ambiguity you can learn to embrace, the more you will be willing to try things others won't. The bigger your dreams, the more ambiguity you'll find yourself wrestling with.This episode is all about how to embrace the places where we have no control, and create an "ambiguity playbook" that you can use to calm yourself and chart a path forward when you aren't sure where to go.Mentioned in the episodeThe Journals Of MJ Unleashed—-If you enjoy this material and want more, you'll love Gillian's new book: 10,000 Doors: Finding your Life's Purpose Through Writing. It's now available on her website gillianjakobkieser.com.

Do you feel deep down that you have some greater purpose, that is just dying to come out through a creative expression of some kind? The only problem is... you have no idea what it is? If so, this episode is for you.Gillian walks you through 3 foundational frameworks for starting to figure out what it is you're here to do, and how to get started even before you feel ready (or know where you're going).If you enjoy this material and want more, check out Gillian's book: 10,000 Doors: Finding your Life's Purpose Through Writing. It's available May 21, 2022. Sign up to Gillian's list at gillianjakobkieser.com to be the first to grab a copy when it drops!

When working on a long-term project, we've all experienced bursts of inspiration, and just as often: disappointment, boring parts, challenging periods, and feeling disconnected from our project.How do you manage your energy for the long haul? How do you navigate the spikes and dips in energy and excitement about a project over the weeks, months, or even years it takes before you can wrap it up?Gillian shares 3 tips for navigating fluctuations in your energy during the course of a project, and offers ways to use your project as a vehicle for practicing self-compassion. Mentioned in the episodeCave DayGillian's first book, 10,000 Doors: Finding your Life's Purpose Through Writing launches May 21, 2022. Sign up to her mailing list at gillianjakobkieser.com to be the first to grab a copy when it drops!

Gillian offers 3 tips for aspiring book writers on the heels of finishing her first nonfiction book. These concepts will make writing a first book feel both accessible to start AND possible to finish.1. Reduce the scopeTip success in your favor: limit the amount you're setting yourself up to do, AND limit the amount of it that will be new to you. First, figure out your goal and cut it in half. And, when doing anything for the first time, find a way to leverage skills and experience you already have.2. Start anywhereYou can write the first chapter at the very end. Don't break your brain trying to synthesize the whole framework before you've started. Start in the middle, then organize later.3. Incentivize finishingFind ways to lock in the outcome at the beginning, before your confidence wavers. Book a launch party, send your editor a deposit, anything. Get creative!Gillian's first book, 10,000 Doors: Finding your Life's Purpose Through Writing launches May 21, 2022. Sign up to her mailing list at gillianjakobkieser.com to be the first to grab a copy when it drops!

It can sometimes feel like self-healing is a full time job... amiright? (just me?) Today's show is a loving reminder to take a look beyond your mental weather forecast and take in and feel in awe of all the action of our actual lives that surrounds us.

Grace Chon (creativity coach, author, and host of the Creativity School podcast) joins today to talk about how (and why) we hold ourselves back from going for our dreams. Grace has built a successful and ever-evolving creative career through learning to set your aim, dismantle unhelpful beliefs, and take imperfect action.Grace and Gillian swap favorite mindset tools, and talk about the rightful place of fear + feedback in the creative process.Learn more about Grace at her website, find her Creativity School podcast here and follow her on Instagram here. Inspiring accounts we follow:Amie McNeeSteph Trujillo "The Money Flirt"

Anger is one of the basic (and healthy) emotions, though many of us cultured as girls and women were never taught how to "do" anger. Lacking this emotion in your toolbox can show up as poor boundaries, un-kind self talk, and can even manifest as a never-ending quest of self-improvement. We feel sad and blame ourselves when things go wrong, and these bad feelings have nowhere to go. Learning how to do anger won't make you a raging b*tch, but it will make you more assertive, better able to make positive change in the world, and happier. Rage becomes her by Soraya Chemaly

Today Gillian reads to you from one of her favorite books of the last few years, Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. This book is a witty and profound antidote to most time management literature, a philosophical tome for productivity nerds and inbox-zero-devotees who are, let's be honest, burnt out. Get a warm drink and listen to Gillian read 5 questions to ponder if you want to make sure you are using your time well, not just efficiently. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Writer Kyra Evans is one of Gillian's favorite people on the internet, and you'll soon hear why. Kyra and Gillian have both worked in copywriting and ghostwriting, and they talk about how the skills that lent themselves to writing for others (shapeshifting abilities built on years of people-pleasing) did - and didn't - prepare them for the challenges of creating their own work.They talk about the surreal awkwardness of creating content that no one asked for, and Kyra gives her tips on finding self-compassion when your inner voice gets harsh. Gillian also confesses that she created the fake Steven Pressfield account that follows Kyra (just kidding).Follow Kyra at @kyra_evans_writerKyra Evans WebsiteThe War of Art by Steven Pressfield Human DesignAtomic Habits by James Clear

Learning in the real world can be very different than school learning: the path is not laid out in a straight line from here to here -- and as a result, it can be so hard to know if you're making any progress.Gillian shares her favorite metaphor for learning new disciplines, that can help you stay the course, especially when you're creating the course as you go.

In 2011, Bianca Levan had no art practice to speak of, but a fateful visit to a San Francisco open studio compelled her to rent a small space of her own. From that one decision, an inspiring art practice and career has emerged. Bianca talks through how she discovered her medium - paper cutting - and how her art practice has supported her as she's navigated some of the most challenging aspects of her life.MentionsConnect with her @biancalevan on Instagram and www.biancalevan.comMolly Wizenberg

Gillian is almost done with her book -- so why is she procrastinating getting it finished? She explores why finishing can feel so threatening, and speaks to the inevitable reality of our finished products being nothing like our original vision.

Gillian shares a more realistic, more forgiving definition of mastery of your craft - whatever it is. It's not the point at which you stop making mistakes, but the point at which you know where to anticipate them (and how to fix them).

Gillian discusses motivational styles, and how learning the way that you intrinsically motivate (and demotivate) yourself can help you make smart adjustments your process to better serve you as a creative.Learn about how you motivate by taking Gretchen Rubin's 4 tendencies quiz

More shadow! Gillian shares her "dirty secret" that kept her stuck and not creating or sharing. In this episode she explores how shining a light on your secrets can be the key to unlocking pure creative gold.

Comedian, writer, and creator of The Dress-Up Gang (TBS) joins Gillian for a beautiful conversation about learning to love the process, adapting your working style to suit you, and finding the balance between exploring infinite possibilities and making decisions in your creative work.Follow Cory at @coryloykasekDave Chappelle and Maya Angelou interviewEmily Sheehan's Podcast episode

What may bring success for normal people is not enough for a perfectionist. Gillian names some limiting beliefs many perfectionists may struggle with: the urge to put one's own stamp on work in order to "protect" it from failure, and the temptation to need to learn everything possible about a field before ever making any work. Other people don't feel the need to do this; why do we?

What can we learn from observing our own energy patterns? Gillian does some reflecting on what patterns in her life give her energy "highs" (and the lows that inevitably follow). Also: when is dreaming big generative, and when is it a recipe for frustration?

Gillian stretches herself and gets some wins, so why does she feel so sh*tty afterward?

Gillian reflects on her earliest experiences of doing something that felt impossible, and the mental tricks she discovered that shifted the impossible into just-possible territory. (Audio is a little fuzzy on this one, but the content is solid. Apologies!)

The show's first interview is with the inimitable Shelby Drabman, founder of Room Service Los Angeles. Shelby is a multidisciplinary artist who has recently found a groove in fiber art, namely making wildly colorful and singular hand-tufted rugs out of her LA studio. Learn about her background, experimental mindset, and what how she balances the real-world demands of making art and making money.Follow Shelby on Instagram at @roomservice.losangeles

Gillian explores a mistaken belief around being heard, which sheds light on why the entire concept of speaking up felt like such a heavy burden. Listen as a simple discovery unlocks some relief. A beautiful insight for anyone struggling with worthiness around expression.

What is the shadow? How does it affect our work and our understandings of ourselves as artists? Gillian talks about how our shadows show up and prevent us from doing work, and the value of working with (vs hiding) those parts of us we've locked away.

This podcast is a total experiment, and that's on purpose. In order to out-run my own perfectionism, I'm diving right in, and expecting to learn, change, and evolve as I go. Learn about me, my background, why I'm creating this work, and my hopes for how it will help us grow together as creatives.