Creative People Podcast

Welcome back to Creative People Podcast! I'm about to kick off Season 5—but before I do, I wanted to take a moment to look back before moving forward.In this episode, I'm reintroducing myself and the podcast, sharing where I've been, where I'm headed creatively, and revisiting some of the best moments from Season 4. You'll hear clips from incredible conversations with Amy Silva, Matty James, and Stacey Tookey, offering a chance to catch the heart of what I'm building with this podcast.Whether you're a longtime listener or just tuning in for the first time, this episode is a great way to get a feel for what Creative People Podcast is all about.New season, new conversations—let's get into it!

In this episode of Creative People Podcast, we are thrilled to have Stacey Tookey, a renowned choreographer and dancer who has been nominated for 3 Emmys for her work on So You Think You Can Dance. Stacey shares her story of how she started dancing at the age of four in Edmonton, Canada, and how she pursued her dream of becoming a professional dancer in Las Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles. She also talks about the challenges and rewards of being a choreographer, and how she balances her artistic vision with the demands of the industry.  Stacey tells us about her passion for teaching and inspiring the next generation of dancers through The Bridge Movement and The Protégé Movement . Stacey is a creative force who moves with grace and grit, and we are honored to have her on the podcast. Tune in to Creative People Podcast and get ready to be moved by Stacey Tookey.staceytookey.cominstagram.com/sjtookeywww.creativepeople-podcast.com

Back at it with local KW favourite, graphic designer Brie Pointer!  Brie is a ray of sunshine and full of heart - she tells me about the farm she started with her family, crafting with glitter and knowing your worth.  We chat about some of the hard stuff she's been through in the last few years.  Through it all though, Brie's sunshine shines through.  Great episode!  Do it up!Work with her:https://www.briepointer.ca/Check out her farm, Wayward Farmhttps://waywardfarm.cawww.creativepeople-podcast.com

This week comedy writer, Amy Silva is in the studio.  She tells me about attending the Humber Collage's Comedy Writing and Performance program, and her love of cringe.  We chat about perfectionism and if she actually thinks she's funny.Super fun one.https://www.instagram.com/amydsilva_/www.creativepeople-podcast.com

https://www.instagram.com/brandi.boulet/episode description....www.creativepeople-podcast.com

In this episode, Matty James (the.nonbinary.bombshell) talks about their journey of becoming a drag performer, and how they use drag as a form of art and activism. Matty also discusses some of the challenges and joys of being a drag performer, and how it was a battle with themselves to get there.  We chat about growing up in the church (we grew up in the same church) and how they found themselves after leaving that world behind.https://www.instagram.com/the.nonbinary.bombshell/https://linktr.ee/the.nonbinary.bombshell If you are interested in drag culture and want to learn more about how to slay the drag scene, this episode is for you. Listen and be amazed by Matty James, the non binary bombshell!www.creativepeople-podcast.com

In this episode, we are thrilled to have Rachael Taylor as our guest. Rachael is a renowned Creative Director, Bestselling Author, Mentor and Print and Pattern Designer based in Liverpool, UK. She is the co-founder of Make it in Design, an online platform that teaches thousands of creatives how to achieve their dreams in the design industry.https://rachaeltaylordesigns.com/https://makeitindesign.com/We will talk to Rachael about her latest book, Power Up Your Creativity, which is a must-read for anyone who wants to unleash their creative potential. The book is packed with practical exercises, inspiring stories, and helpful advice on how to develop a productive practice, set goals and achieve your dreams. Rachael will share with us some of the insights and lessons she learned from her own creative journey, as well as from her mentorship of hundreds of aspiring designers. She will also give us a sneak peek into her upcoming projects, which include a new collection inspired by her travels to Cuba.If you are looking for a boost of motivation, inspiration and creativity, you won't want to miss this episode. Tune in and get ready to power up your creativity with Rachael Taylor!(episode description written by chat gpt) - crazy, eh!? www.creativepeople-podcast.com

Today on the podcast I'm talking to filmmaker/producer, Katie Billo https://www.digitalsabbath.caKatie is part of Digital Sabbath - a kw local film companythey're the ones who made the Business Unusual series.Over the last 2 years,  I've interviewed a few of those guystodays it's time for the gal's point of view. Katie Billo is married to her Digital Sabbath partner, Kyle Sawyer (https://www.creativepeople-podcast.com/episodes/kylesawyer)The two of them are the driving force behind the company...they also have an incredibly cute, film centric meet cuteI've enjoyed getting to watch them start and grow their film company,fitting in these chats with their whole crew along the way.Katie is the perfect way to cap that offToday we're talking the joy of editing, producing... what producing even means.we chat about dogs, Quantum Physics, woodworking and parenthood with a little bit of David Fincher "fan boy & girlying" in there for good measure.It's a great chat.   Do it up!www.creativepeople-podcast.com

Today's guest told me that when he's told to tone it down, he cranks it 10x!On this episode I'm chatting with Montreal video producer, xcephasxhttps://xcephasx.com/Cephas describes himself as a business man first - and an artist second... which i think is great because we need more business minded creatives as far as I'm concerned!So today we're talking business systems and animaniacs?  Cephas talks to me about pushing it so that people feel it, how he never wanted to grow up and how art is exciting but so is seeing the money deposited in your bank account!it's a really fun chat this week, you are going to love it!www.creativepeople-podcast.com

Today from Los Angeles California, I am joined by magician, princess and pin-up model,  Magical Katrina!https://magicalkatrina.com/Katrina tells me about being a little girl who idolized Judy garland and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. We talk about when she started performing and how she took control of her career and  how now she's out to get everything she wanted from it.She talks about the challenge of doing anything fully and using magic to get backstage at a rolling stones concert.Great chat, do it up.www.creativepeople-podcast.com

Today's guest is Carina Gardner, a designer and coach who is all about helping creatives make money with their work.https://www.carinagardnercourses.com/Carina contacted me about being on the podcast - for a podcast switch actually. Now, I often say no to those types of things and it's not that I'm unfriendly, all though I can be.  It's just that most of time with the podcast I follow my gut to find guests, but this time I felt like I should yes and I'm glad that I did.Money isn't something I've focused a lot on with the podcast, for good reason, I've never really been good with it. But I do want to change that so todays conversation was pretty interesting especially because I recently decided that I didn't care if I ever made money with my creativity.Carina did show me that, maybe it doesn't need to be so black and white. Regardless of money or the lack there of Carina has some excellent, practical, mindset shifting tips.  It's a great convo - you will enjoy itwww.creativepeople-podcast.com

This week we are in the studio with Designer, Ryan Antooa.  Ryan makes his podcast return to fill me in on his new books, new skills and new ambitions.  Ryan and I first chatted the first September of the pandemic man, a lot has changed since then!  We chat about anime, rest and steel sharpening steel.  https://www.ryanantooa.com/Music by ApolloBuy Ryan's zine, Backslider at ryanleacock.cawww.creativepeople-podcast.com

Back at it again, again, and we have a great one for ya. EM aka Hushpuppy Designs is in the studio to talk luck, making art for the underdogs and friends who are intimidatingly good at drawing.  I had such a great time chatting with EM.  Great vibes in this one.  Enjoy!https://hushpuppydesigns.com/I wrote a whole blog about some of the stuff we talked about on this episode.  check that out here www.ryanleacock.ca/blog/hushpuppy-designsMusic by BaegelBuy Ryan's zine, Backslider at ryanleacock.cawww.creativepeople-podcast.com

This week we're back for Season 4.  I am chatting with KW local artist Trevor Clare.  We talk about mental health, the power of locations and traditional/digital artwork.  Great guy, fantastic convo!https://www.instagram.com/trevorclareart/I'm glad to be back for another year of podcasting, expect this season to be striped down and back to basics.Music by Young Communitywww.creativepeople-podcast.com

Hey buds, this week I sit down with 96.7 CHYM's morning host Brady Kingsbury.  Brady gets into it about all things radio, from producing to hosting.  We talk about being part of people's lives every morning and the Springsteen quote that works as his guide.  Great chat!https://www.instagram.com/bradiobrady/Krista Kankula - Creative Coachhttps://www.instagram.com/kristakankula/Ryan Leacock - Podcast Host/Producerhttps://www.instagram.com/ryanleacock_/www.creativepeople-podcast.com

“We need new and unusual experiences to think differently. In fact, cultivating a mind-set that is open and explorative might be the best thing we can do for our creative work. As Jack Kerouac said - ‘the best teacher is experience'. That's a quote from my favourite book on the topic of creativity (and one of my all time favourite books), called Wired to Create by Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire.Hey, I'm Krista Kankula.  I'm a creativity coach who focuses on helping adults pursue their creative expression & do it in a way that's fun and true to who you are. Today I've got a challenge for you, if you choose to take up the invitation. Since -  changing our perspective and having novel experiences are so important to our creativity, I'm inviting you to go create somewhere that feels NEW or unusual to you. That might mean, you take your sketchbook down to your laundry room in your basement, or you lay on the floor on your back and paint, or you try illustrating from your car (while parked of course), or dancing barefoot in your backyard. Maybe you go to the mall, find a place to sit and write your novel.You don't have to plan a trip somewhere far to experience something new or to look or think about what you're creating in a different way. You can do it within your own space, by switching around your furniture, your body positioning, or creating in a different room than you normally do - like a hallway even.  Trust me, painting in on your hallway floor is more fun than it sounds or at least I found it to be.Consider thinking about the spaces in your community that maybe you haven't visited in a while or have never spent time creating in - a bowling alley or a  restaurant…or going to a friend's house or garage.Let yourself experiment with creating somewhere just a little bit different from where you normally do and see what happens. Keep this practice in your back pocket so you can pull it out if you're not feeling inspired or creative or maybe you simply want to make a habit of challenging yourself to create in new spaces.If you feel inspired, snap a picture of the new spot you're creating from and tag Ryan @creativepeople.podcast and me @kristakankula. I'm committing to trying this practice out again myself - stay tuned to see where I go. www.creativepeople-podcast.com

Clarissa Diokno performs her recent single, Haunted live at the podcast studio!https://www.creativepeople-podcast.com/episodes/clarissadioknowww.creativepeople-podcast.com

This week we are in studio with singer/songwriter Clarissa Diokno.  We're talking about forming a band on Facebook, talent shows, and blowing glass. She tells me about her writing process and puppets!  Then she performed her song Haunted!  Great one!https://www.instagram.com/clarissadiokno/https://www.instagram.com/kristakankula/https://www.instagram.com/creativepeople.podcast/https://www.instagram.com/ryanleacock_/www.creativepeople-podcast.com

Hey, buds!  Today we're talking theatre with Innovative Productions theatre creators Marley And Sidney!  They have a production happening this week called “That' One Act Thing” - which I am lucky enough to be a part of.  The duo talk to me about friendship/partnership, Canadian Theatre, and using frustration as a motivator.  Great chat!https://www.theinproductions.com/www.creativepeople-podcast.com

Hey buds, today on the podcast we're talking animation with animators Hanna, Carla, and Michael.  The trio tells me about their animated short, "Ashes" and all the time, love, and effort that went into making it.We get into it about perfectionism and the bitter-sweet feelings that creatives go through at the end of big projects.   Great chat, do it up!Watch the short:"Ashes" - Short filmHaanimation links:https://twitter.com/haanimation_s https://bio.link/haanimationstudio https://twitter.com/little_ms_mousehttps://bio.link/little_miss_mousehttps://bio.link/lovelyhone

Jaguar Sun performs Cold Wind Live at the Creative People Podcast Studio

Display your creativity/put on your own art showDo it in your house - could be just for yourself to see and appreciate or you can invite friends/familyFirst let yourself view what you've created How to appreciate your progress/creative journey and build in time to pause and celebrateSometimes when our projects get stored away in a file in our computer, in a sketchbook, we can forget about them, we can forget about the progress we've made, the different styles we've attempted Remind ourselves where we've been, can inspire/help us identify where we want to go next —------------- Hey, I'm Krista Kankula.  I'm a creativity coach and I'm here to offer short exercises to help you cultivate and express your creativity and do it in a way that's rooted in joy, playfulness and self-belief.The exercise I'm about to share with you is great if you're:Wanting to work up the courage to share your art with more people Feeling like people don't see/recognize your creativity or artIf you're experiencing a lot of self-doubt about your progress and creative skillsOr if you have a dream to one day have your work featured in a gallery, festival or some sort of public space.The practice today is this:You're going to imagine you're hosting an art open house and it's going to be featuring your art/your creations. You get to curate and design how you'll display your art and which pieces you'd like to feature.  And then once you're done you can decide if you'd like to invite friends, family, colleagues - the people in your circle to view it OR if for right now you'd prefer to view it yourself, and share it with others later.Often we don't spend a whole lot of time with what we've created when it's finished. It might stay in a sketchbook and after we're done we're flipping to the next page, or it gets tucked away in a box or it lives in a digital folder, on our phone, on a social media feed or our camera roll. Going through what you've created is an opportunity for you to be present with what you've made. To fully take it in and appreciate it. It's an opportunity to see your journey as a creative, how your skills and perspectives has changed over the months and years. Through this process of reviewing and displaying your art   you can look back and admire what you've created and maybe even get inspiration from these past creations. This process also gives us the opportunity to appreciate something we made, that maybe at the time we couldn't fully appreciate because self-doubt  or perfection was clouding our perception at the time.So find a way to display a collection of your art, your creations. Use this exercise as a way to pause and appreciate your progress. Use this exercise as a practice in seeing your creative gifts and seeing yourself as a creative/artist - often we want other people to recognize our gifts/creativity, but what are we doing to recognize ourselves? What are we doing to really see + honour our creativity?As always Ryan and I would love to hear from you. Take a photo + share your display/collection with us or let us know what this process of reviewing and displaying your work was like for you. Tag Ryan @creativepeople.podcast and me @kristakankula 

This week we're in the studio for a conversation and live performance by Jaguar Sun.  Chris Minielly talks to me about the evolution of his music and how stepping outside of his comfort zone was part of that process for him.  We talk about navigating social media while staying true to ourselves   Then Chris caps off the podcast with a fantastic live performance.  Do it up!Jaguar Sonhttps://linktr.ee/JaguarSunKrista Kankulahttps://kristakankula.com/activateyourcreativityhttps://www.creativepeople-podcast.com/

Hey buds,This week we're talking comics, imposter syndrome, and store ownership with comic book creator Alfonso Espinos of Studio Comix!  I met Alfonso when I stopped in on the way to my barber, and I immediately knew I had him on the podcast.  Alfonso's passion for comics and helping creators is infectious and it was interesting to learn about the history of comic books in Mexico.  We had a great time.  Do it up.https://www.studiocomix.com/https://www.creativepeople-podcast.com/

Hi I'm Krista Kankula! I'm a creativity coach that helps adults make time for + access their creativity & do it in a way that's rooted in joy, playfulness and self-belief. Have you ever been working on a creative project or maybe marketed something you've created and found yourself thinking “do I just say the same thing over and over again”Or have you ever found yourself bored with the very topic you've centered your creative project on - not necessarily because you find it terribly boring…you're maybe bored because you've spent some much time with it  and spent so much time thinking about it/loooking at it in the same way.Well today's exercise will help you if you're finding yourself in one of those scenarios,  if you're feeling stuck or if you simply want to activate your imagination and experiment with a little creative challenge.I'm not sure exactly where I was/what I was thinking when I thought about this exercise, but let's pretend I was sitting at my desk, opened my drawer - that let's be honest is probably better described as a junk drawer/mish mash of stuff and the first thing that caught my eye was an eraser.Today's exercise is to challenge yourself to write for 20 minutes about an eraser.Why an easer? Well it's not the most exciting object in the world, but likely one we have some familiarity with.The focus of this exercise is to think about the eraser in different ways - what other uses could it have/how could it get repurposed, get curious about it (maybe think about where/how the eraser was invented, how the first eraser was made vs. the ones that get made now) and also to use your imagination and play with telling a story about an eraser. Let's break down how this exercise can help you a bit more:#1 - it's giving you some constraints to work with. Instead of saying write about anything for 20 mins, you're given the topic of an eraser. Constraints can work in our favour and help us generate more ideas/solutions.#2 - It's a creative experiment with a slight (but not overwhelming) sense of pressure. There is a time limit and so it challenges you to come up with some bit of writing in just 20 minutes. And it can help challenge our thinking of what's possible to create in a smaller chunk of time. And hey if you have a writing deadline, you can recall that time you did an exercise like this and you were able to be calm, cool and creative under pressure and get it done.#3 This one sort of contradicts the last one - but I think you'll get where I'm going with it. Even though the time may induce a bit of pressure, the exercise itself is low stakes. There's no assignment to turn in, you don't have to publish it as a blog post or turn this draft story about an eraser into a novel. You don't have to worry about whether it's interesting or your audience or editor or anyone for that matter will like or read what you wrote - because its just for you.I hope you give this exercise a try - for the record I did and I began a story about the last eraser on earth who kept escaping its glass case in the museum where it was to be on display, so it could go live in the forest with its best friend the pencil. Cheesy? Yeah, but its an exercise I'll definitely lean on in the future to bring some fun into the writing process, challenge myself and see what other stories I can come up with.Think about how you can apply the elements of this exercise to what your creating - constraints, being curious, looking at it from different perspectives, making things up/using your imagination.Let us know what this exercise was like for you + what it inspired in your writing. Tag Ryan @creativepeople.podcast and

This exercise was actually inspired by Ryan and a question he asked me when I was a guest on the podcast. We're going to visualize and animate our creativity. This is a great practice to experiment with because…1) It's a fun way to use our imaginations and think differently 2) It gives us an opportunity to appreciate and celebrate our capacity to be creative - remembering even when we're feeling blocked or uninspired we always have the ability to be creative.3) It's a chance to explore our relationship with creativity and be curious about what we might need to support and allow our creativity to flourish. So you're going to close your eyes or focus your gaze. If you're listening in the car, come back to this when you can close your eyes or focus your gaze safely. Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale out and you can even let yourself sigh. Repeat this two more times.Begin to picture yourself walking through a park, there's a windy pathway lined by evergreen and maple and birch trees, there are patches of gardens with wildflowers in different shades of yellow, pink, orange and blue and there's a slowly flowing river off to the side.In a moment you're going to walk up and see your creativity.. Imagine what your creativity would look like if you animated it? What kind of character or object would it turn into? What colour or colours is it? How does it move and communicate with you? You now see your creativity waiting for you on a bench. You're excited to spend some time together.You're going to ask your creativity some questions and just notice what it wants to share with you:Ask your creativity, what encouragement or guidance do you want to share with me?What's something you want us to collaborate on and create together?And lastly, what does your creativity need in order to flourish?You can open your eyes now and you may want to write down any messages or ideas you got from this visualization. You can always re-ask yourself these questions and journal about them. You can use this visualization as a way of connecting with your creativity - maybe you take time to have a weekly or monthly brainstorming session with it OR you can use the visualization to inspire a piece of art - maybe you draw, paint or make a comic about your creativity. I hope this exercise helped you activate your imagination and think of your creativity in a playful and different way! 

Hi, I'm Krista Kankula - a Creativity Coach and I'm all about helping you use play and creative self-expression as a tool to cultivate more self-connection, FUN and joy in your life!For today's exercise, we're going to focus on creative blocks and how we can bring a playful energy/mindset to moving past them.Creative blocks are sometimes also referred to as fear, resistance, or feeling stuck. It's the sensation of not being able to access our creativity or feeling like something is blocking us from saying or expressing what's inside of us.What's important to keep in mind is that:1) Feeling blocked creatively is not a sign that we're not creative or that something is wrong with us (there's nothing wrong with you, we're all creative)2) although they may feel like it, they're not impossible to move pastAnd 3) When we bring in a playful energy or attitude we can change the way we perceive creative blocks. Instead of dreading them, we can see them as an opportunity to get curious and learn.That's because creative blocks offer us helpful information. For example, they might be trying to communicate to us that…There's a part of us that feels afraid, uncertain, or vulnerable.We need to change something in our environment or approach.That we need rest, a break from that creative activityThat we need to shift our perspective.Play is one of the ultimate antidotes to helping us past a creative block. Play helps us embrace the unknown when we're not sure how to move past a block, it helps us imagine different possibilities and is really like a warm-up for our creativity.Here's how we can bring in that energy or attitude of playfulness to meet these blocks..First, we bring attention to what's presentVisualize or name the block (ex. I feel like there's a block stopping me from saying and writing what I want to say or from allowing me to paint in a way that feels fun)Then get curious about what's there - what is this block trying to tell us?Second, we bring in the energy of playfulnessWe can do that in a number of ways, but I like using either movement AND/OR visualization as they both can be done pretty much anywhere and without any equipment.Through MovementMove in a way that feels playful to you, such as dancing,  jumping up and down, hopping on a swing in your backyard or participating in a game.Through Visualization Picture a time when you felt really playful, maybe imagine yourself playing when you were younger and notice how the energy of playfulness feels in your body.If you can't picture that, imagine a child you know or one of your pets, a cat or dog being playful. Notice how seeing them be playful brings that energy of playfulness into your body.Now that we're embodying that playful energy we want to ask ourselves questions to get at solutions.Here are some examples of questions we might ask ourselves:How might I move past this block if I were being playful?What would it look like if this activity felt playful again?Finally, we want to look back at the block and observe:How do you feel now?What do you notice that you didn't before? This process was inspired by what is called the coaching arch in life coaching. We can use parts of this process or the whole thing to help us when we're feeling blocked. I hope you give this exercise a try and let a mindset of playfulness fuel your creativity and help you move past any blocks you may encounter.

Do the OppositeHi, I'm Krista Kankula - a Creativity Coach and I'm all about helping you use play and creative self-expression as a tool to cultivate more self-connection, FUN and joy in your life!Today is opposite day. Or at least we're going to pretend it is.Novelty is such an important factor in creativity.And for a lot of us who are really living creatively it's something we find ourselves seeking out.When it comes to our creative practice or creative work it's important to shake things up every now and then and just be curious about how it inspires or influences what we're making or our mindset.For whatever project or creative practice you're working on at the moment you're going to challenge yourself - just for fun to do the opposite of that for one day. I'll give you some examples of how you can approach this opposite challenge:If you're someone like me who paints with a lot of colours - specifically pinks, oranges, greens and bluesYou challenge yourself to paint only in black and white OR you challenge yourself to paint with your eyes closedOR you challenge yourself to only use words to create an image or pattern on the pageIf you're someone who photographs landscapes and natureYou can challenge yourself to draw or paint what you see insteadOr take photos of objects or people insteadIf you're someone who writes blog postsYou can challenge yourself to use a voice memo to talk out and record your blog post instead of writing.Or you can challenge yourself to draw a comic that communicates the main theme behind your blog post If you're designing postersYou can challenge yourself to make a poster out of cardstock and cut and glue on the shapes and textOr You can challenge yourself to create a 2-minute video communicating the event or ideas from the poster instead.These are just a few ideas to get your creative brain warmed up and thinking about how you can practice this FUN opposite challenge for yourself.And if you take on this challenge, which we really hope you do, share what you created and tag Ryan @creativepeople.podcast and me @KristaKankula on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you create and how this opposite approach inspires you!

This week we are in the studio with DP Paul Duck!   https://www.pauljamesduck.com/Paul tells us about the high-pressure world of documentaries, and how he prepares for it.  We talk about frustrations, how they help us grow, and how he's still chasing the same feeling he got as a teenager when he started shooting skateboard videos.  Great chat!Also, it's our 100th episode.And we have a new creativity exercise with Krista Kankulahttps://www.instagram.com/kristakankula/Music by Jobii and sarah the illstrumentalisthttps://www.creativepeople-podcast.com/https://www.instagram.com/creativepeople.podcast/

Exercise #5Design a failure resume from creative projects/pieces you've createdUse inspiration from the Book the rise and explore how you reframed or transformed each failure into another creation, into a meaningful experience. Talking about the challenges of failure and what comes after it.Normalizing failure as part of the creative process. Find out more at:https://kristakankula.com/creativejuice/

This week I'm talking with Jim Han - a B-Boy, Hip Hop Dance Teacher, and owner of the 519 School of HipHop!Jim tells me about discovering Hip-Hop Culture as a kid in South Korea and how it gave his life direction in college.   We talk dance battles, passing on what you learn, and the history/scope of Hip-Hop.Great chat.schoolofhiphop.ca

This week on the podcast, Ryan is chatting with Toronto-based photographer Kate Dockeray.https://www.instagram.com/katedockeray/Kate talks about her time in school and how she puts herself in the position to be lucky.  We talk Harry Styles and Creative Clowns.  Good chat.  Do it up

This week we're chatting with director Brea Grant about her new Blumhouse film Torn Hearts, starring Katey Sagal.  We talk about her years as an actor and how the creative process led her to direct.  How she treats her creative work as a job and the difference between being creative and being desperate.  Great chat.https://www.instagram.com/breagranhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt15053518/Brea's Podcast - Reading Glasseshttps://maximumfun.org/podcasts/reading-glassesNew creative exercise with Krista KankulaLearn more about Creative Coachingkristakankula.comProgram:0:00 -1:35  - Intro1;40 - 7:50  - Creative Exercise with Krista 7:45 - 10:00 - Intro 210:15 -1:04:50  - Brea GrantThank you to our sponsor Him and Herhttps://www.himandher.ca/Music by Dusty Decksand Matt LargeMade by Ryan Leacockhttps://www.instagram.com/ryanleacock_/Support the podcast:https://www.creativepeople-podcast.com/

Back at it, buds!   Season 3 kicks off with Abbie Darling!https://msha.ke/abbiedarlingcustoms.com/New creative exercise with Krista KankulaProgram:0:00 -3:00-  - Intro3:00 - 7:00  - Creative Exercise with Krista - kristakankula.com7:00 - 8:30 - Intro 28:30 -1:24:50  - Abbie DarlingThank you to our sponsor Him and HerMusic by Dusty Decks

I've put together a remixed buffet of some of the best guests and conversations from the most popular episodes this season. Featuring:- Stephanie Scott (EP:88) on the Creative Path2:15 - 10:25- Densil McFarlane (EP:75) of the OBGM's on being Strong Creatively11:23 - 18:31- Isabel Carreńo (EP:85) on "Not Taking it Too Seriously"19:47 - 26:18- Kim-A-Tron (EP:84) - "There is No Proper Way to be an Artist"27:14 -3 5:32- The High Road Design (Jon Kutt) (EP:89) on Creative Bitterness36:36 - 43:58- Robin (EP:80) and Elaine (EP:83) on Marketing, Partnership, and Kitchener45:00 - 54:54- Taylor Jones  (EP:81)and Kyle Sawyer (EP:94) on the Keys to Success in Business and Contrived vs Occurring Ideas56:14 - 1:02:48- Jonathan Ferrell (farrell_lego) (EP:65) on the Wisdom of Letting Go1:04:14 - 1:06:48- Izzy (Isabelle Poirier) of the Ottawa Design Club (EP:82) on Why We Create and Finding her Purpose1:08:00 - 1:12:10this episode was produced by Ryan Leacock(*some audio was corrupted in the mixer - this is the best Mixed Media Sound could fix it.  Better luck next season.)Thank you for a great 2nd season!This episode is sponsored by Him and Herhttps://www.himandher.ca/Music for this episode was created by:Sarah, the IllstrumentalistMatt LargeshamgangpeerlessYomotiBonkers Beat ClubSINYDusty Decks

Have you ever had a brilliant idea just occur to you?  Those are rare and they are the ones to follow says today's guest, filmmaker Kyle Sawyer.  Kyle is one part of the duo Digital Sabbath and ones responsible for the Business Unual film series.  A series of films highlighting how local businesses are coping with all the struggles brought on by the pandemic.  Kyle talks to me about the energy of film, how he uses his "ideas that occur to him"  as guiding lights through the process of putting together a film.  And how he uses creativity to sidestep potentially weak areas of a scene.  Great chat, do it up.watch the film series at:https://www.businessunusualseries.com/

This week we are getting into the thick of it with the writer of The Creativity Gene, Rose Gabler.  Rose tells me about her grandfather and how a cancer scare led him to dedicate his life to art and how that has rippled through generations of her family.  She talks about her own journey of writer her book and has the most perfect analogy for creativity.  Great chat, do it up.https://www.thecreativitygene.com/https://rosegabler.com/Episode Sponsored by Him and HerMusic by DustyDecks

This week I am talking with fashion designer Christina Harmer.  Christina is the woman behind KHAZ, a fashion brand out of Toronto. Christina tells me about the afternoon at the One of a Kind Show that changed her whole life. We connected about the frustrations of creativity and the peace of being in the zone. She tells me about remixing the classics and the work no one notices.  Great chat. https://www.khazdesigns.com/

This week on the podcast I'm talking with Broadway Musical Director and Conductor, David Loud.  David tells me about his 34 years on Broadway, the magic of theatre and music "in the room" with someone.  He talks to me about working with some of the best, including Stephen Sondheim.   And how rewarding the teaching he's doing now is.David tells me about the energy of being in the middle of everything while conducting on Broadway,  and how the best collaborating happens when everyone makes the same show.  We talk a lot about being grateful during the hardest things in life and David tells me about being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and the peace he has found since.  David is releasing his memoir Facing the Music in February 2022 be sure to check that out.  Great, special chat this week.Music by GuustuuvThis episode was sponsored by Him&HerAbout Facing the Music:https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Facing-the-Music/David-Loud/9781682451915FACING THE MUSICBy David Loud"Beautifully written, filled with vivid details, braided withlove and loss and wit and the perspective of someone withan utterly unique story to tell."-- Lynn Ahrens, lyricist(Ragtime, Seussical, A Man of No Importance)Experience Broadway musicals from a new perspective – from theconductor's podium.David Loud occupies a unique place in Broadway history. In additionto his distinguished career as one of Broadway's most respected musicdirectors, he originated three Broadway roles as an actor, including hisappearance in the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's legendary failure(and cult classic) Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Harold Prince. In acareer spanning several decades, he served as music director for the originalBroadway productions of Ragtime, Curtains, Sondheim on Sondheim, TheVisit, The Scottsboro Boys, and Steel Pier, as well as revivals of She Loves Me,Sweeney Todd, Company, and Porgy and Bess. And he appeared alongsideZoe Caldwell and Audra McDonald in Terrence McNally's Tony-winningplay, Master Class.FACING THE MUSIC is David Loud's poignant and hilarious memoirof his extraordinary adventures conducting Broadway shows, rubbingshoulders with John Kander, Fred Ebb, Audra McDonald, StephenSondheim, Harold Prince, Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Roger Rees, ZoeCaldwell, Marin Mazzie, Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, Garth Drabinsky, andBarbara Cook, among others.It is also a look at his path to the podium, from his one-of-a-kindchildhood (a stage-struck kid growing up at a school devoted to organicfarming and mountain climbing), to formative experiences at a NewEngland prep school and Yale University. His coming out as a gay man andhis diagnosis as a person with Parkinson's Disease, combined with hisextraordinarily entertaining backstage anecdotes, make for a riveting look atwhat it means to live, love, and make music in the rarefied air of Broadway.“Luminous and surprising, an extremely honest memoir of alife lived in the world of Broadway musicals, by one of thetheatre's most gifted conductors. I can't think of anotherbook quite like it.”-- John Kander, composer(Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York)

This week on the podcast I'm talking to DJ, experimental artist, and fellow millennial Sonja (https://www.instagram.com/sonja_online/) She talks to me about bleeding through your eyeballs for your dreams, doing things that scare her (like relocating to South Korea), and why she doesn't want to live in North America. ever again.Sonja means business and her approach to her work is infectious and no-nonsense.  She tells me that in her minds-eye her creativity is a plant and has some extremely insightful/helpful things to offer from that perspective.  She's great, fantastic chat!Music by Margaretahttps://open.spotify.com/artist/2EujXLp3444r3ayjrmwM8L?si=cqBzmFc0RHucUpVMrg42fgThe podcast is sponsored by Him & Her Inc.https://www.himandher.ca/

Disappointment I'm starting to realize that I'm going to have to accept disappointment -  because it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere - and it's everywhere.For one - It's part of the process for our work.  Getting better at our craft is a road through disappointment.  Often, the things we create are not what we see in our heads and it takes time and practice to get it to where those two things match.  And then you challenge yourself again, and the cycle starts over.  More disappointment ahead!  That's the process.But the burden is more than that.Speaking bluntly, it's people… they are going to disappoint you.  Not in like a heavy, let you down when you really needed them kinda way. (though...) But in aesthetic, in scope, in execution, in their capacity, or not seeing what you see, etc, and so on.It's part of the loneliness that comes along with this life.  People you love won't get it.  Their efforts may not look the way you want them to or be as inspired as you like.  They may be silent expressions or express love in a way that goes under our "creative person" radar.....Read the full blog at www.creativepeople-podcast.com

This week I'm chatting and having some laughs with local illustrator and graphic designer Jon Kutt (The High Road Design) - Jon may draw from his adolescence for his art, but his approach is wise and mature.  Jon has learned some things and he tells me about how at 46 he came back to drawing, leaving bitterness behind and embracing "Titface" as his Mona Lisa.  It's a really fantastic chat https://www.instagram.com/the_high_road_design/Music by BAEGEL

This week on the podcast we're back in the studio with artist, Stephanie Scott - Stephanie is a mural artist and graphic designer.  We talk about the winding path of creativity and how she found her way through the false starts.  She tells me about how she approaches designing spaces in big buildings and how her dream mural is inspired by Ren and Stimpy - great chat, do it up.https://www.stephaniescott.design/Music by peerless

Collections, why do people collect stuff?  What are the stories behind these collections?  And more importantly, who are the people?  Samantha Mashburn and the team behind the Mothball Prophecies aim to uncover these questions.This week I'm talking to Sam about how her background in hair styling, love for family stories, and passion for antiques led the creation of her podcast.  She tells me about the things she's learned and her hopes for the distant, distant future!  Great one.  Do it up.Check out the Mothball Prophecies, where ever you get your podcast.https://www.themothballprophecies.com/Music for this episode by Matt Largehttps://open.spotify.com/artist/107WzwlsOTR6Nxnw2kPHd3

A creative exercise to help us reframe our perspective and get back to making work that matters.*Correction: misspoke when I said Andrew Lloyd Wright meant Andrew Lloyd Webber.

CelebritySprayPaint, Dimitri Dimka joins me on the podcast this week.  Love this guy's art!  Appreciated his story and straightforward approach.  Dimitri tells me about moving to Canada from Russia and finding his art again, later in life.  Great one!https://www.instagram.com/celebrityspraypaint/https://open.spotify.com/artist/2MGL4XU2LCJC47c7VvSwuE

This week on the podcast we continue our European convos with Isabel Carreńo, an illustrator from Spain.  Isabel's work captures the essence of the french cinema, rockstars, and icons like Audrey Hepburn with just a few perfect lines.  Her illustrations and pretty and classic, I love them.Isabel tells me how she was drawn to her type of illustrations from an early age, why she loves to draw women, and how she grew out of some of her snobbiness.  We connect over our love of pop-culture and how it can bring people together.   Great chat, do it up!See all of Isabel's work hereMusic by shamgang(*correction from episode credits)

This week we are chatting with UK artist, Kim-A-Tron!  Kim Thompson is an artist out of Nottingham, England and it was my pleasure to be able to connect and talk about creativity with someone on the other side of the world.  Spoiler: Creatives in the UK deal with the same stuff that you and I do.  I love Kim's work, it's bold and colourful with reclaimed heroic themes.  She's paints moments that represent power reversals and that suggest a whole epic story.  Make sure you check out Kim-A-Tron's Instagram - it's a great episode.  Do it up.Music by Matt Large

Back at it and in video with Marketer Elaine Decleir!  Elaine humanizes marketing and teaches me a few things along the way.  I really enjoyed Elaine's sincere intensity and it was great to hear about her creative and business partnership with previous podcast guest, Robin Lindner.  The duo makes up Robin and Elaine and it was nice to get a peek into how these two work through creative challenges.  Elaine is great!  It's a great time, do it up! Elaine on InstagramRobin and ElaineMusic by Sarah, The IllstrumentalistVideo Podcast on Youtube

Ideas.  Aren't they the best?  Is there a sentence as full of possibility as “I have an idea."?  They are the beginning of everything.  For us creative people, ideas are the name of the game.  It's what we work in.  Creative living is having an idea, make an idea happen, over and over again.But things get messy.  It's not as simple as that in reality. Because ideas are like badly labeled seeds.  You don't always get what you're expecting, or when you're expecting it.  It's part of the fun.  It's also a massive pain in the ass.  Here's a scenario:  2 Ideas arrive on the same morning.One that you're not supposed to use for years The other, you're going to use that afternoon.  Both good ideas, intended for very different timelines.  But how are we supposed to know?  Sometimes we do, it's obvious.  That “idea seed” arrived with a good label.  But what about when they don't?The first step is to figure out if they are good ideas.  That's a whole other blog post.  But part of the “bad labeling” thing is that ideas can be a lot of things.Great.Great, but not for right now.Great, but not for you.Bad.Bad, that seems good.Ok.Ok, but the seed of something great could be in there.Good.Good, but seems boring or too much work.Lifechanging.A distraction.A distraction that you need.This whole blog post could be a list of ideas.  But that's the job, sorting through ideas and then pulling them off.   The problem is that we can easily misidentify an idea, and start trying to use it in a place it doesn't fit or at the wrong time.This will burn us out, or depress us.  It could lead us to question our intuition or talent.  But it might just be you put a “good idea” in the wrong place or you weren't ready for that idea yet.Here are some of the signs the idea isn't for right now:You are forcing it.Great ideas don't need to be forced to work.  If you feel like you're forcing it, stop and reflect.It's distracting youIf it's taking you away from work that you need to finish, that's a distraction and it needs to wait.  Or, you need to re-evaluate the work.  Perhaps that previous idea has run its course.  You gotta figure that out.Honesty with yourself is essential here.  Because sometimes we SHOULDN'T finish the first project.  Sometimes we SHOULDN'T act on a good idea.  Only you are really going to know that, and it can take some time to train our intuition to know what to look for.  We only get so much time on this planet and you have to narrow down the ideas that you're going to spend your time on.    The flip side is that we are Creative People, we are building a body of work and you don't have to be perfect.  I think we should finish, or bring to an end point, most of our projects.  You will learn something by finishing, and if you can bring it to a finishing point, it will give you a sense of closure.  Abandoning an idea is the last resort, in my opinion.  I think a long list of abandoned ideas undercuts the confidence that you need to finish a great project.  Finish the project, even if that means massively cutting down the scope. Finish something.So, how do we know if an idea is for now? And how do we get better at identifying our ideas?  read more at creativepeople-blog.comMusic by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist

BLOG + is a companion to the creativepeople-blog.comEvery creative has been there, deep in the ruins of an idea we were once excited about. We're might be embarrassed, we're certainly confused and it could lead to us questioning ourselves as creatives.  It's painful and one of the worst parts of creative life, but what if it's supposed to be this way?I recently went out on my own, job-wise. I'm Full-Time Creative  It's something I had been planning on, dreaming about, and on July 1st, I did it.  Then everything hit the wall.  What I had built and the direction I was going, wasn't working.  The buffers I had in place broke, and I was stuck on where to go next.Oh shit, now what?Years ago, this would have crushed me.  My mind would say that clearly, I'm a failure and I don't deserve love or cash for my efforts.  I had a black & white perspective on the world and held the dreaded FIXED MINDSET.  My mind would tell me that, “If I was any good, this would have been good.  And because it's not, I'm not. “ Back then, I didn't understand the GROWTH MINDSET and I didn't have any idea how creativity worked.  It stopped me from getting shit done and I was miserable.  But now, I'm starting to know better… Here's what I know now:I know that when I hit a wall, it means that my idea needs to grow.  The idea I had before got me this far, but in order to keep going, it needs to die or evolve.  It doesn't mean it was a bad idea… it just wasn't THE BIG IDEA you thought it was.  That is ok.Ideas are kind of like the spinoff Pig Game from Angry Birds. Bad Piggies  I know, I know, but hear me out.Basically, the rules of Bad Piggies are that you build a crazy vehicle for your pig, then push him down the hill and see if anything survives.  That's exactly what we do with ideas.Gather all the stuff we have around us; our skills, our taste, and the materials that we have access to.Then we build a crazy little IDEA Vehicle with all the parts that seem to work.  Next, we push it down the hill of life. Meaning, we put it out into the real world and we see what happens.  Now to see if it survives.  We observe it to see if it finds an audience or fails miserably.  Or worst of all… if it doesn't do anything at all.Then we're supposed to adjust.  If it doesn't work the first time, it doesn't mean you're a failure or not creative or that you should give up.  It means you have to pivot and grow.The things we build with creativity are structures of ideas.  Creations we make in our minds and then we bring them into the real world and see if they work.  Ideas lead to other ideas and it's all about growth. It's this process happening again and again - that is creative living.  I had to learn to become ok with an idea not working.  I am still learning to let it go and grow because holding on to ideas that should have died will burn you out.  I have to be ok with people seeing me fail.  That can be embarrassing.  People are going to see you fail!   You're going to have to get over it.So here I am today, taking my next idea, putting it together the best that I can… and running it down the hill.  If it survives and I'm happy with it.  Great!! On to the next one.   If it doesn't, then it's back to the top of the hill and trying again.     That's what creative living is and how we grow.I hope you found this encouraging.  You got this, bud!Show up, and do the work.I'm in the trenches of creativity with you.- Ryan Leacock