Bite Size Book Club

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin continue to move through Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. Today, on the BSBC, we finish up the book and discuss chapter 7: Strategies for Developing Your Own Voice. This episode is excellent. We finish out the book so strong. Lisa's last chapter is a fantastic list of ways that you can work on developing your voice. They are legitimate ongoing things that you can do in a day to day setting to work on your artistic voice. We go through the list (and chapter) and discuss each of these topics and how they relate to each of us, and the Awesome Ladies and Crafty Ass Female communities. This chapter alone is worth reading the entire book. I'm absolutely obsessed with this list.

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin continue to move through Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. Today, on the BSBC, we discuss chapter six: Begin Anyhow - Moving Through Fear. This was a short but very important chapter of the book. Fear is a constant barrier to artistic expression. Contrary to what we think about other people's art. There is no magic point at which artist's arrive and 'poof' they're done with being afraid that their work isn't good enough anymore. That fear is almost always present in some form or another. In this chapter, Lisa gives us some vocabulary to talk about what it means to have fear as an artist, move through that fear, what are the pros of this fear and so much more. Honestly, so much packed into this little chapter (and a great interview to boot).

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin continue to dissect Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. Today, on the BSBC, we discuss chapter Five: The Importance of Showing Up As we say at the beginning, the themes of this chapter are woven into so much of the Crafty Ass Female ethos. We talk about what else we can do to be present and active participants in the world around us, especially right now. Showing up is one of the most important ways that you're going to find your artistic voice. Even when showing up is hard as hell. Lisa (and the girls) talk about the importance of routines (Daily Pages much) and we get into a discussion about our favorite Ira Glass quote about taste and talent. Such a great episode.

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin continue to dissect Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. Today, on the BSBC, we discuss chapter four: Navigating Influence We talk about the important points that Lisa hits on, like influence being everywhere and our creativity being impossible to not be influence by others. She talks aboutour favorite male creative content creator, Austin Kleon, and riffs on his 'nothing is orginal' thoughts and we continue that conversation.

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin continue to dissect Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. Today, on the BSBC, we discuss chapter three: The Path. Lisa comes up with a really great framework for talking about your creative journey called 'The Path' and she breaks it down into five different phases: The Spark, The Ongoing Desire To Create, Risk-Taking, and Experimentation; Questioning; and Creative Flow.

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin continue to dissect Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. Today, on the BSBC, we discuss the chapter two: Why Does Having a Voice Matter?

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin continue discussing the new book for the third season of the Crafty Ass Female Bite Size Book Club: Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. Today, the girls discuss the first full chapter: What is an Artistic Voice?

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, Amanda and Kristin are discussing the new book for the third season of the Crafty Ass Female Bite Size Book Club: Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon. The girls discuss the first introduction chapter and talk about Lisa's interview on the CAF show and how they're looking forward to a deep dive into this book! You can join us for an indepth discussion over at the Awesome Ladies Project and let us know what your thoughts on the book are as well!

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we finish reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are starting at page 156 and finishing through the end of the book. Show Notes: Being honest about who you are What about the really hard stuff? Putting yourself out there It doesn't have to be flawless to be complete Let's talk about failure How change feels Today is the day Now what

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are continuing Part Four, and reading pages 146-155. Show Notes: Don't Hoard Ideas The value of first drafts and idea dumps Finding motivation Clear space Create a ritual Tell yourself it's a trial run Set a timer The best tool is the one you'll use

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are starting Part Four, and reading pages 136-145. Show Notes: • You gotta do the work • Reject the inspiration cycle Your best work will be something that you do. Try This: Handling the highlight reel

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are finishing Part Three, and reading pages 118-135. Show Notes • Developing a timeline ○ Matching up with events ○ Choosing a timeframe • Documenting your progress is informative ○ Informative ○ Exciting ○ Gratitude • Flexibility, pivoting, and letting yourself adapt ○ Lower your standards ○ Bend don't break • Getting through transitional periods ○ There is no secret strategy • When it's uncomfortable ○ Sometimes you don't need to add more things • Dealing with doubt ○ There is no this thing ○ You don't have to do the thing • When is it okay to stop? ○ Is this too difficult? ○ Are you bored? ○ Do you want to do this? • There is no "made it" and what that means for continuing your work

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are continuing Part Three, and reading pages 108-117 Show Notes You get to be scared Fitting goals into daily work and life Breaking it down ○ The recipe method ○ The group by task method ○ The one step at a time method The value of check-ins

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are continuing Part Three, and reading pages 98-107. Show Notes • Turning Dreams into Concrete • Your Ideas and Your Voice are Valuable Take Them Seriously • Say Your Goals Out Loud Try This: Start an Accountability Group

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are starting Part Three, and reading pages 85-97. Show Notes • Where to start ○ Adding to your life ○ What do you want more of • What's a goal, anyway? ○ Something to work towards ○ Something outside the normal ○ Pluses: Easy to connect with and easy to document • What to do when you have too many ideas ○ Write them all down, give them each their own page. ○ Expand on each of those ideas for five minutes. ○ At the end, which one gave you the vibes? • What to do when you have no ideas ○ Look back ○ Figure out what you want to improve on ○ You can always change your mind • Try This: Five Year Plan

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are finishing up Part Two: Let's Make Room for Joy, and reading pages 76-83. Show Notes • Respecting the ebb and flow • we all pay attention to the extremes more, • But life mostly happens in the middle. • Making decisions during highs blows has consequences. • Taking temporary situations K trying to make them permanent. • Cant avoid. can prepare. • Showing up as you are is the most important part. • This is about you. Stop comparing. • Keep your eyes on your own paper. • Keeping up with the Joneses • You have enough time • You have exactly enough time for the things that matter to you • This can be a privileged perspective, but also a necessary way to look at the calendar * creating a façade of busy instead of creating personal boundaries.

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are continuing Part Two: Let's Make Room for Joy, and reading pages 60-75. Today's Topics 1. Building in white space 2. You are in charge; not the computer 3. Being real about your social media use 4. Saying yes to the right things 5. How to find your absolutely yes tasks

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are continuing Part Two: Let's Make Room for Joy, and reading pages 52-59. Show Notes Today's Discussion • Finding Pockets • Stop reinventing the wheel • Getting started Finding Pockets HOW to find time for the things you want to do. (internal demands-or the little bits of sand). This is how I want people to find time for Daily pages Stop reinventing the wheel Find things that work for you; stick with them. This leads to less decision fatigue, and more time for creativity in places that matter more to you. Getting started Getting started can be the worst. Here are several ways to try to make it work for you: 1. Think about your priorities 2. start w/ the easy stuff 3. use your best energy on the hardest stuff 4. Give yourself a deadline 5. start somewhere Try This: * sort your tasks * honor your time zones * set a timer

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are continuing Part Two: Let's Make Room for Joy, and reading pages 44-51. Show Notes Topics in this week's episode Big Picture scheduling Re-evaluating What's in your life Building Routine into your to-do list To try: opt-in Notecards Last Episode we talked about list keeping and prioritizing Today, we're first going to talk about Big Picture scheduling. -External Demands preset dates -Negotiated Demands - have to attend, but have some choice of when to schedule - Internal Demands things you want need to attend, but are flexible on the date/time This is difficult! Not everything will fit neatly into your schedule You need to see the time you don't have so that you can see the time you do have. Reevaluating what is in Your Life. choosing your actions opt-in exercise on pg 48 is great This is important. (re-evaluating) if you don't do this, other people determine what's important for your life; because we are always gelling filled up w/ randomities. Building Routine into your to-do list Almost everything should have a set time. Pay attention to the flow of your days and weeks. This helps match energy levels to activities Compartments for tasks can help you feel more focused & provide anchor points in your days/ weeks. You are building a routine so you can break the routine.

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are starting up Part Two: Let's Make Room for Joy, and reading pages 32-43. Show Notes Pages 32-43 Why Plan? • to stay on track • to get ahead • maintain focus • when things go wrong its not the end of the world • to build space into and around our lives and work planning looks different for everyone why are you NOT getting things done? Lack of time Lack of communication Lack of focus Great series of questions on pg 36 + flowchart on 37. Why write things down? • A list creates space • A list helps you sort • A list saves time Why Prioritize? Helps to give you a sense of what is essential VS. non-essential on your list and let you spend your time accordingly. Determining your priorities Two different methods she presents + the 'three things concept'

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we continue reading Big Dreams Daily Joys by Elise Blaha Cripe. Today we are finishing up Part One: Let's Get Started. *Show Notes: * This episode's pages: 24-31. Next week we are taking the week off for Christmas, but we'll be back the week after with Part Two: pages 32-43. *Key Points: * * Stop waiting until you're ready! * You'll never be 100% ready. * No one knows what they're doing. * What's most important is what actually matters. * Working towards your goal is the best part of the whole process. * Celebrate the process. Join us in the CAF Podcast Community group at: https://theawesomeladiesproject.com/groups/craftyassfemale/

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we start Season 2 of the show with a new book: Elise Blaha Cripe's Big Dreams Daily Joys *Show Notes: * This episode's pages: 1-23 Next week/episode we'll be reading the rest of Part One (pages 24-31). *Key Points: * * Why set goals? * What is the difference between a goal & a to-do list item? * Elise's concept of the layers of goals * What makes a good goal? Join us in the CAF Podcast Community group at: https://theawesomeladiesproject.com/groups/craftyassfemale/

On this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we are discussing the final chapter of Austin Kleon's Keep Going: Plant Your Garden. We both loved this chapter so much. We spent a couple of minutes rehashing the larger conversation we had with Austin during his episode on the podcast in April. Talking about how you can maintain a garden throughout the year, even when you can't tend to your outdoor garden. We want to know: what type of garden do you keep?

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, K&A are chatting about the penultimate Chapter 9: Demons Hate Fresh Air in Austin Kleon's Keep Going. We talk about the different ways to make 'Fresh Air' work for us, especially now that winter is coming and we can't all go for 5 mile walks every day. We try to figure out what is at the core of what those demons actually hate about the fresh air and see how we can combat it even when we can't get that dose of pure sunshine we're longing for. This week we want to know how you get fresh air, especially in the seasons when it's harder for you to get outside (which might be when it's really hot/wet in your area).

In this episode of the BSBC, we're chatting about Austin Kleon's Keep Going Chapter 8 -- When in Doubt, Tidy Up. We had a fabulous conversation about 'working studios', making things happen, and so much more. Join us in the new CAF community at The Awesome Ladies Project https://theawesomeladiesproject,com/craftyassfemale

In this chapter of the BSBC we're chatting about Austin Kleon's Keep Going -- Chapter 7: You Can Change Your Mind. We had a blast with this episode. We chatted about internet trolls, changing your mind on BIG things, little things, and everything in between. We got into a great discussion about like-minded vs like-hearted people, and how spending time among like-hearted people is an important thing to do. This week we'd love to know how you're changing your mind right now and how you've changed your mind in the past. Please join us over at theawesomeladiesproject.com in our new community space. It's a great place to communicate and engage in a meaningful dialog. Learn more about the new groups at theawesomeladiesproject.com/craftyassfemale You need a free basic Awesome Ladies membership to access the groups, if you don't already have one, you can sign up for that right here: theawesomeladiesproject.com/joinus

In this episode of the Bite Size Book Club, we're chatting about chapter 6 of Austin Kleon's Keep Going: Slay the Art Monsters. This was a super short chapter, and we discussed pretty much all the points that Austin touched on. We really tried to dive into how our own personal art monsters can stand in the way of getting our lives on track. This week we'd love to know what your art monsters are and how you deal with them.

In this episode of the CAF Bite Size Book Club, A+K dive into chapter five of Austin Kleon's Keep Going. This chapter, The Ordinary + Extra Attention = The Extraordinary was so much fun to discuss. We talk about how if you spend a little bit more time on the ordinary, things become amazing. You don't need to 'be the most' to stand out or make awesome things. What do you enjoy putting extra attention to?

In this episode of the Crafty Ass Female Bite Size Book Club, we dive into Chapter 4 of Austin Kleon's Keep Going. This is one of A+K's favorite chapters in the book and one that we really dove into with Austin when he was on the show. The idea that your creativity is a gift, and it doesn't always need to be turned into a good that can be traded for money is something that we are really feeling hard these days. We talk about the gifts that we give ourselves, and how that can be an incredibly powerful thing in our lives. We'd love to know what gifts you're making.

This is one of our favorite chapters in the book. Even though it's so short in length, it is so meaty in substance. We get into so many epic little discussions in our short conversation and we can't wait for you to dive in as well.

In this week's episode of the CAF Bite Size Book Club we dive into Chapter 2 of Keep Going: Build a Bliss Station. We talk about the importance of connection and disconnection when it comes to creativity, art, and making. We talk about FOMO and how to replace it with JOMO (the JOY of missing out). And, we also chat a bit about learning how to say no. We want to know all your thoughts and feelings on chapter 2, especially how you're learning to say no, and what your bliss stations look like! Take photos and post them on the community page

In this week's episode of the CAF Bite Size Book Club, we are starting the third book in the Austin Kleon trilogy: Keep Going and diving right into Chapter 1. The first thing we talk about is taking everything One Day At A Time and the pull quote from the movie Groundhog Day, 'What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?'. Austin says that how you answer this question is your art. A+K talk about how this is true and how our season of growth ties directly into Austin's mention of creativity not being linear. We spend a chunk of our time talking about daily routines and lists and how that helps artists and creatives really hone their practice. For this week, we'd love to know how you would answer the question quoted above: 'What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?'

In this week's episode of the Bite-Size Book Club, we're discussing book #2 of the Austin Kleon trilogy: Show Your Work. We spend about a minute on each chapter, making this episode a little bit longer (12 minutes) than we're aiming for most episode -- but we discussed a whole book! Now we want to know what YOU think. Feel free to keep it as basic or dive as deep as you want. Here are some things we'd love to know: What was your favorite chapter? What was your favorite illustration? Was there a particular quote or passage that stood out to you? Was there something that you didn't agree with, or wanted to know more about, or wish that he took in a different way?

In this episode of the BSBC, we chat about the newly named Bite Size Book Club, the Austin Kleon Trilogy, and some of the Austin Kleon resources that we've already created: Original Austin Kleon Steal Like an Artist Book Club EP (https://vimeo.com/283042375) CAF Austin Kleon Interview EP (https://craftyassfemale.fireside.fm/69) And then we wrap up with how you can participate and leave you with a few questions to help you join the discussion below. What are your thoughts on Steal Like an Artist? (this is the only week we'll be discussing it) Which topic/chapters are you excited to discuss? What do you feel like you are struggling with as an artist? Do you have any Austin Kleon resources to share?