Stepping Off Now: For Creative & Sensitive Thinkers

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Stepping Off Now is a podcast for creative and sensitive thinkers. If you're feeling creatively stuck, burned out, or like you're not fulfilling your true potential, this podcast is for you. The host, Kendra Patterson, discusses topics like harnessing the

Kendra Patterson


    • May 9, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 34m AVG DURATION
    • 171 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Stepping Off Now: For Creative & Sensitive Thinkers podcast is truly a gem in the podcasting world. From the moment I started listening, I was hooked and eagerly awaited each new episode. Kendra's sweet and smooth style of delivery makes it a joy to listen to, and her ability to provide helpful hints and suggestions for everyday life situations is truly invaluable.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is its applicability to everyone, regardless of whether they consider themselves creative or not. As someone who is more on the conventional side as a finance manager, I initially thought this podcast wouldn't necessarily resonate with me. However, I quickly realized that Kendra's valuable insights come from her own experiences and research done in various fields, making her messages relatable and practical for all listeners. Her suggestions for dealing with burnout, in particular, have been fantastic and applicable to my own life.

    Another aspect that sets this podcast apart is Kendra's ability to inspire and bring out the creativity in her listeners. Through her humility, frankness, wisdom, and honesty, she has helped me discover my hidden passion for theater. Her encouragement and thoughtful discussions on topics such as taking feedback and staying motivated in creative practice have been incredibly helpful for me as a theater artist.

    While I can't think of any significant flaws or negative aspects of this podcast, it's important to note that some may find it difficult to relate if they are not sensitive or creative thinkers. However, even for those individuals, there are still valuable lessons to be learned about living a fulfilling life with authenticity.

    In conclusion, The Stepping Off Now: For Creative & Sensitive Thinkers podcast is a must-listen for anyone looking for inspiration and guidance in their creative journey or in navigating life as a sensitive thinker. Kendra's unique perspectives and insightful advice make each episode a true gift filled with wisdom and practical tips that can be applied to various aspects of life. Don't hesitate to give this podcast a listen – it may just change your outlook on creativity and help you find your hidden passions.



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    Latest episodes from Stepping Off Now: For Creative & Sensitive Thinkers

    E168. Not Letting the Big Picture Sabotage Your Creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 30:37


    Managing a large creative project that must be done in stages and with attention to what seems like a million intertwined details is a skill that must be learned through trial and error. Most projects are in the "ugly" stage until they are very near completion, and this can be frustrating and confusing when you have a grand vision of what you are trying to accomplish. In this episode I talk about what writing a novel taught me about how to keep going when you feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the work you are attempting to finish and start to lose hope that you'll finish at all.

    E167. Interview Episode! Featuring Kristin Kisska, Author of The Hint of Light

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 68:23


    Note: my microphone wasn't working properly for the interview portion of this episode; I apologize for the less-than-ideal sound quality of my parts.At last the long-awaited first installment of my author interview series!  KRISTIN KISSKA used to be a finance geek, complete with her MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed #SuspenseGirl. She has contributed over a dozen short suspense stories to crime and mystery anthologies. Her debut novel, The Hint of Light, was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Mystery Novel. Kristin is a Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and James River Writers member. Kristin lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her family and their moody tabby cat, Boom. She loves hearing from friends, readers, and book clubs at www.KristinKisska.com. You can also find her on Instagram @kristinkisskaauthor.

    E166. Maintaining Motivation for Creative Work in Challenging Seasons

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 22:40


    Here in Florida our challenging season is summer--it's both broiling hot and rainy. My backyard turns into a literal swamp. It can be hard to maintain motivation for our creative work when the weather and climate are so uncomfortable. Maybe in your area it's winter that's the challenging season. If you struggle to keep up our momentum during these times, I have some suggestions on how to handle your creative work in ways that can create motivation.Info on Lisa Ross's literary editing services

    E165. How Doing Art Constitutes Resistance

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 27:51


    As I contemplate ways I can resist against the forces of chaos and cruelty holding sway in society, I am sometimes dismayed by my own limits. But I am not utterly powerless. In this episode I discuss the many ways in which doing art can be a form of resistance.Dina Brodsky's InstagramAthena Scalzi's blog post

    resistance dina brodsky
    E164. Is the Ability to Make Choices More Important to Art than Creativity?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 20:43


    Beyond passion, skill, and commitment, there is another quality that defines what it is to be an artist: the ability to make choices in your art and follow through on them. In this episode I contemplate how being stuck in art (and life) is often more the result of a fear of making wrong choices than a lack of inspiration. It can help to shift our mindset to see artistic choices as neutral, and to understand that we have the power to make a choice a good one by continuing to work with it until it has borne fruit.

    E163. A New Theory of Talent

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 28:55


    I've long thought that talent is the least important ingredient in artistic success (however you define that). The further I get in my writing career, the less it seems to matter whether I have any "natural" talent. What matters is consistent and sustained effort over time. In this episode I contemplate whether talent is what we think it is, and provide an alternative framework for conceptualizing it that can help free us from the pressure of not feeling talented enough.

    E162. Creative Practice and the Artist's Illusion

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2025 33:06


    In which I share my thoughts on how creative practice helps us handle the often difficult conditions of the artist's life: how long and hard we have to work to establish ourselves, the mental health struggles many of us face, and the competition inherent in a glutted market.  

    E161. What Taking on a Second Creative Practice Has Taught Me (+ Some Thoughts on Disruption)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2025 26:35


    I recently added a second creative practice to my roster of creative activities: watercolor painting. While I definitely felt ready for this big step, it has nonetheless served as a disruption in my life and to my understanding of the role of creativity in my life. In this episode I contemplate the value of disruption and how both planned and unplanned disturbances to our status quo can help us grow creatively and develop a deeper understanding of our work.

    E160. Learning to Use Conceptual Tools as an Intuitive Creative: Is It Possible?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2025 34:52


    Creatives and artists can be roughly divided into two types: intuitive and conceptual. Many do successfully combine both styles, but I have never been able to. I am a strongly intuitive writer and have historically failed at incorporating conceptual tools, like outlining and plotting, into my practice. As part of my journey toward being a published author, though, I've been forced to consider using conceptual tools to streamline my writing process. In this episode I tell you how it's going and what I've learned. What it boils down to is that even us intuitive creatives CAN learn to successfully use conceptual tools...as long as we develop them ourselves in an intuitive way.

    E159. What Role Do Artists Play in Society? It May Not Be What You Think

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2024 26:21


    As the wheel of history lurches forward I've been thinking about what role I play in society as an artist. What do I contribute? How can I make a positive difference? Typically this kind of discussion focuses on the artist's art, but I've taken a different view. I want to know what role artists themselves play, separate from their art. In this episode I contemplate this question and offer some thoughts.Hewes House

    E158. Interview Episode! What Health Looks Like Through the Lens of Creative Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2024 61:56


    In a twist on a classic interview episode, in this one friend of the pod Ann Wainscott returns to interview someone herself! Links from this episode:Switched on Pop's Madonna episode No.1, No.2, and No.3Daniel Mason's novel North Woods

    E157. Finding Psychological Safety in a Tumultuous World as a Sensitive Creative

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 30:04


    When you are a highly sensitive gentle soul, the chaos and cruelty of the world can feel unbearable at times. How are we to protect ourselves while still engaging? In this episode I discuss this in light of my own thoughts on the recent US election results.My sister's Instagram account (jillpattersoncycling)The poem Desiderata

    E156. How I Learned to Take Myself Less Seriously...and More Seriously

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2024 25:54


    Have you ever been told you take yourself too seriously? I heard this all the time growing up. And it was both right...and wrong. In this episode I discuss how I held myself back from reaching for my creative dreams both by taking myself too seriously and not seriously enough. Sound confusing? Well, give it a listen!Here is the Instagram reel that sparked this episode.

    E155. Why You Really Really REALLY Shouldn't Listen to Advice (*With Some Exceptions)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2024 49:49


    I wasted years of my life following other people's advice about how I should be writing novels and developing my creative practice, and it mostly failed me. So finally I decided to chuck it all out the window, go against the grain, and listen to myself. In this episode I discuss why we mostly shouldn't listen to anyone else and instead expend time and energy figuring out what works for US individually. But we also shouldn't dismiss advice and expertise wholesale! So I balance my rebellious FU side here with a discussion of when and how we can benefit from advice.

    E154. Does Structure Constrain or Free Us?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2024 30:51


    I am using my current project, novel #2, to master plot, my weakest area as a writer. In the past, I've been ambivalent and even felt antipathy toward applying commercial and Western-style plot structures to my novels, because I felt they constrained my art. So what's changed? In this episode I discuss my evolving views on structure in life and art, and why I'm now leaning into the concept that structure can free us...if we do it right.For some background on my thoughts on plot, and particularly on Western vs. Eastern styles, see this episode on the Kishotenketsu narrative structure. 

    E153. Preliminary Thoughts on Being a Neurodivergent Creative

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2024 33:48


    In this episode I discuss my recent diagnosis of being neurodivergent, including why I pursued a formal diagnosis, what it entails, and its relationship to creativity and my art.

    E152. Are the Things We Suck At Actually Special Talents in Disguise?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2024 24:44


    With novel #1 winding its way toward publication (hopefully), I have officially begun work on novel #2...and I've realized I will have to approach writing it in an entirely different way. Not only that, I'm going to have to use a technique I have utterly failed at in the past: preplanning the plot. Simply put, I suck at plot. It was the last thing to fall into place in novel #1. In this episode I contemplate why the things we suck at could actually be special talents in disguise, and how we can shift our mindset around our perceived deficits in order to better face the challenges of our artistic journeys. Link from this episode: The Binary Code Shop

    E151. When All You Have Is a Drum... Play

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2024 20:35


    I'm not really sure how to summarize this episode, y'all...but you'll want to listen!Contact me

    E150. The OG Society Thought Experiment: Why and How We Share Our Art

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2024 26:29


    Sometimes it can be difficult to see how our own societies and cultures influence us. I have this trick I use to help reveal some of those hidden influences that I call the OG Society Thought Experiment. I imagine how a small pre-capitalist "original society" would have functioned and compare that to my modern capitalist society. Today I use this thought experiment to explore different ways to frame how and why we share our art with the world.Contact me 

    E149. Are Big Dreams Bad for Us? Learning to Not Miss the Stars

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2024 24:40


    In this episode I take stock of where I am in my creative journey as I contemplate what lies beyond the dreams we hold for ourselves. Are dreams holding us back? Do they ultimately make our lives less happy and satisfying?W.H. Auden's poem, The More Loving One Contact me

    E148. Looking for Your Lights in the Dark

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2024 30:33


    Notice: The Kishōtenketsu Workshop I am doing with Andy Mort is coming up next week! You can find more info and sign up a this link.  In this episode I discuss two women I've learned about recently who are lights in the dark for me. They inspire me to keep going through tough times, and to not lose hope. Table tennis phenom Zhiying Zeng, who is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer at the age of 58, reminds me that it's worth it to try for a dream a second time around. And singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, whose wonderful song "Brave" is worthy of the number one spot on the charts even if it didn't make it that far, reminds me that if we let go of our attachment to specific outcomes, we allow for even better things to happen.

    E147. In Search of Continuities in Our Artistic Identity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 33:12


    I recently discovered a notebook filled with poetry I wrote thirty (!) years ago, and in one fell swoop it reconfigured my understanding of myself as an artist. In this episode I contemplate the threads that define who we are as artists that weave their way through our lifelong body of work (creative or otherwise). And I read one of those thirty-year-old poems (eep)!Find out more about my Kishotenketsu workshop partner, Andy MortFind me on InstagramContact me 

    E146. In Which I Read My Short Story "The Trash House"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2024 42:28


    In summer I like to  mix it up on this podcast, so I decided to share some of my short stories. "The Trash House" is a women-centered retooling of the Japanese Kitsune (fox) folklore. Enjoy!

    E145. Re-Envisioning the Creative Journey through the Kishotenketsu Lens

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2024 36:02


    Last episode I discussed the "conflict free" Japanese Kishotenketsu storytelling framework as a gentler alternative to the Western-style Hero's Journey. In this one I contrast the two as lenses through which we can interpret our creative lives. The Hero's Journey, though it may make for compelling entertainment, can be toxic when used as a way of understanding our own progress and successes. The Kishotenketsu lens provides a more realistic and less competitive perspective that suits those of us who are gentle souls, HSPs, and neurodivergent.  

    E144. Special Release: The Calming Effects of Kishotenketsu Narrative Structure

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 38:56


    I'm dealing with some personal life stuff right now and so dug into my Patreon archive for an episode for you all today! In this one I discuss the Japanese (and more broadly Asian) narrative structure called Kishotenketsu. This is generally seen as being a low-conflict or even conflict-free form of narrative, and it's a balm to the soul for those of us who have highly sensitive nervous systems. I compare Kishotenketsu to the typical Western Hero's Journey/three-act narrative structure using the examples of the films Kiki's Delivery Service, Parasite, and the show Bones. Enjoy!Note: I mention references in the original show notes for this episode but unfortunately these were lost when I closed down my Patreon. I always like to cite my sources and give credit where credit is due, so I apologize about that. I was able to source one of them.  

    E143: The Writing Conference and Live Pitching Experience

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2024 38:26


    Last week I made the trek down to Tampa to attend a writer's  conference and live pitch my novel to two agents! This type of experience can be overwhelming for creatives who are highly sensitive or have other types of sensory processing conditions--or for those who struggle with anxiety and/or mental health challenges. In this episode I discuss all the special accommodations I made for myself so that I was able to get through it successfully, plus how I am dealing with the emotional aftermath.Thank you for coming along with me as I've transitioned into this next step on my creative journey with my novel, the querying phase! There have been a lot of personal update episodes lately, but I'll be back to regular topical episodes starting in two weeks.The episode I mentioned in this one:E27: Breaking Into the Chocolate FactoryContact Me

    E142. Handling Rejection Sensitivity for Neurodiverse Creatives

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2024 61:01


    Rejection sensitivity is one of the primary challenges neurodiverse and highly sensitive creatives face in reaching for their dreams. It can cause us to isolate, not seek out opportunities to share or showcase our work, or even keep us from doing creative work in the first place. If we do put ourselves out there, we risk severe mental health consequences when we experience real or perceived rejection, even of the mild kind (and rejection is inevitable on any creative journey!) How can we pursue our creative dreams in this context?  In this episode I discuss the ins and outs of rejection sensitivity and its more extreme form, rejection sensitive dysphoria. You'll hear what it is, why neurodiverse folks are prone to it, what it looks like in real life (using some examples from my own), and some tools I've developed over the last five years of my own creative journey that have helped me go from not wanting to share my fiction at all to live pitching my now completed novel at a conference next week (wish me luck!) Several resources I used for this episode:Emotional Regulation and Rejection Sensitivity (Dr. William Dodson, October 2016)Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and Its Painful Impact (Dr. Neff, blog)Past episodes I mention:E41. The One About Writing: My Writing Journey and Path Toward PublicationE65. In Which I Read One of My Short StoriesContact me

    E141. Following What's Alive in Your Creative Work

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2024 34:25


    This episode begins with an update on my preparations for the writers' conference I'm attending in Tampa on April 12. You can skip ahead to the 10:36 mark for the topical discussion.We're often counseled to follow our own vision or intuition in our creative work, but what does that actually look like in practice? How do you do it? In this episode I discuss a new lens that I'm finding useful right now: you follow what's alive. You'll hear about when following our internal impulses and rejecting the "shoulds" matters, how to differentiate between what's "alive" and what's "dead" in a creative project, and what to do then.Contact me

    E140. Update Episode! Plans for Pitching My Novel

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2024 28:29


    At loooooooong last, I am (nearly! almost!) ready to start querying my novel to agents, so I decided it was the right time to do an update episode on where things stand and my plans going forward. I touch on topics such as what it feels like to be done, preparing for querying, and finding opportunities for professionalization as a prospective author.Writing Day Conference info (Tampa & Orlando)Jane Friedman classesMary Kole resources

    E139. Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Times in the Creative Process

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2024 25:39


    Most timelines of the creative process depict it as linear and progressive, an "up and to the right" trajectory (like on a graph). But what I am finding in the final stretch of writing my novel, though, that this phase is entirely different from every part of the process that came before. Nothing about how I'm working as I struggle toward that finish line is like my ordinary creative practice, and I've had to alter both my approach and mindset. It truly is extra-ordinary (in the sense of being outside of the ordinary), and it does not fit with linear-progressive models of the creative process.In this episode I discuss different cultural conceptualizations of ordinary vs. extraordinary time, and how we can adapt these to help us understand those periods in our own creative process that seem to take us far off course even as we struggle to maintain our bearings.

    E138. Recognizing and Recovering from a Creativity Injury

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2024 33:38


    My sister is a competitive cyclist, and we enjoy discussing the similarities between athletic practice and creative practice. The other day she was telling me about how she and the cyclists she coaches recognize, treat, and recover from physical injuries. It made me wonder: can creatives and artists suffer from injuries, too? If so, how do we recognize when we have one, and how do we treat it? What can a sports analogy teach us about our need as creatives and artists to rest and recover?Here is the episode of Martha Beck's podcast that I mention.Contact me

    E137. Good vs. Bad Discomfort in Creative Practice and Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 24:10


    I credit my creative practice with helping me recover from my life-altering burnout at the end of my PhD. I've maintained from the beginning (and often talked about in this podcast) that creative work should feel good most of the time. For many years I've been gentle and compassionate with myself in both my creative practice and life, never pushing too hard and taking breaks of days or even weeks when I began to feel overwhelmed by anxiety. This is what helped me build a sustainable, fulfilling creative practice that has ushered me out of burnout an into a life that feels like it has purpose. But in order to finish my novel, I've had to push myself like never before, and I find myself sitting in discomfort in my practice more often than not. Discomfort ultimately cannot be avoided, and it is required if we want to grow. But it can also be destructive--allowing too much discomfort, and the wrong kind, into my life is what led to my burnout in the first place. How do we differentiate between constructive vs. destructive discomfort? This is a big topic and I only scratch the surface here (and to be honest my brain is a bit fried right now with trying to finish my novel!). Hopefully I've made a good start with it.Contact Me

    E136. Crafting Your Artist Origin Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2024 47:36


    Have you ever noticed that successful artists' backstories often sound like destined paths or hero's journeys? Learning how to tell your own mythologized origin story is an essential tool for any artist. Listen to this episode to find out why and how to do it.I am indebted to the podcast episode Infamous: Taylor Swift Before She Was Famous Part I for much of the information about Taylor Swift's early life. Please give it and its companion Part II a listen!Find out more about the writing program I use, Scrivener.Contact Me

    E135. Magical Thinking in the Creative Life: Use and Misuse

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2023 28:41


    I am a lifelong magical thinker, but in recent years have rejected it in favor of a more realistic (read: pessimistic/cynical haha) perspective. This holiday season, though, I have decided that I will once again let myself believe in magic. But am I ready to indulge in magical thinking in a responsible way? To find out, I compare my magical thinking or lack thereof during my two experiences of finishing a novel: one twenty years ago and one this year. In the first case, I used magical thinking in a destructive way, but this time I'm trying to use it in a constructive way. What's the difference? Listen to find out! 

    E134. Celebrating Not Accomplishing Goals

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2023 33:32


    There's no question that setting and achieving goals is beneficial...right? But what about when it's not? Creativity requires us to become adept at allowing ourselves to be swept off course. In this episode I discuss why we struggle so much to deviate from plan, why this can harm our creative process, and why we may want to consider taking radical steps to connect with our intuitive creative mind.

    E133. Connecting With Your Greater Purpose for Your Art

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2023 26:29


    In these final difficult months of getting my novel ready for agent submissions, thinking about my art's greater purpose is serving as an important motivator. In this episode I discuss why I think it's best to save contemplating your art's greater purpose for the later stages of creation, how to know if you even need a greater purpose for your art, and how to figure out what yours is. This discussion is part of a larger one I've been having on this podcast recently around contemplating audience and balancing prioritizing our needs as artists to be authentic in our art with the needs of audiences to enjoy or benefit from our work.

    E132. Maintaining a Creative Practice Under Conditions of High Stress

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2023 28:42


    When life gets messy, it's tempting to put our creative work aside until we have the space and energy for inspiration again. But this is no good if you are trying to finish a project or if you are dedicated to maintaining a serious creative practice as an artist or a mental health practice.  In this episode I talk about what I learned from a recent experience of upheaval in my own life, and give you some tips to help you when you encounter your own.

    E131. Developing Your Artistic Voice

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 24:16


    Sorry for the lateness of this episode, I'm dealing with some very noisy construction at my house that is interfering with my recording schedule. In this episode I provide a brief update on my novel polishing and throw out some thoughts I have on what artistic voice is and how to develop it.

    E130. The Deadline Experiment

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2023 34:01


    What happens when someone who hates deadlines decides to try one out? Listen to hear all about my recent experience of setting a deadline for myself to finish my novel. Spoiler: I hit it! In this episode I talk about why I'm usually against deadlines, when they are useful, how to know if you are ready to take the next step in your project and set a big one for yourself, and how to set endogenous deadlines that serve YOU, rather than exogenous ones that serve the gods of toxic productivity.

    E129. How Not to Get Stuck in the Doldrums of Almost Done

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2023 46:14


    Why is it that after all the work you've put into your creative project you hit your biggest resistance when you can finally see the finish line? This is what happened to me this summer when I was trying to finish my novel (which will be done next week!!!). Turns out this is totally normal, and in this episode I talk about why this happens and how to move through it.This episode marks a return to my regular programming after taking the summer to work through the above-mentioned resistance. If you want the full story as it happened (cause I'm all about sharing the process), listen to the update episode I released over the summer months!Here is the talk with Matthew Bellringer that I mentioned.

    E128. (Final) Summer Updates + Upcoming Programming

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2023 18:31


    This is my final update on this strange summer that was full of change, growth, and pure panic, if I'm honest! I'll be returning to my regular type of programming in a couple weeks, and in this episode I give you a taste of the episodes topics I'm planning. They are all based on my experiences this summer tackling draft 10 of my novel, The Gentle History: new challenges, lessons learned, and wisdom gained.

    E127. Summer Updates + Creative Breakthrough

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2023 21:22


    I finally have some excellent news to share! I've had a creative breakthrough on my novel and am on track to finish it by mid-September. In this episode I share what led to the breakthrough, what it feels like, and my tentative plans for when I'm done.

    E126. Summer Updates + Redefining My Creative Identity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2023 33:57


    This is a grab bag of an episode in which I tell a long and rambling story about what getting my house tented for drywood termites has to do with the Empire State Building, share my thoughts on what I've learned about creative process as I've worked through my writer's block, give two examples of how I've humbled myself to art recently, and declare a new creative identity for myself.Here is the episode of the podcast Bewildered I mention.

    E125. Summer Updates + Thoughts on Humbling Yourself to Art

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2023 21:12


    In which I talk about how I'm working through my current writer's block and the importance of surrendering to the ebb and flow of creativity.Here is the newsletter by Nick Cave that I discuss in this episode.

    E124. Some Changes Going Forward

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2023 14:39


    In which I discuss some recent developments in my life and the steps I am taking to deal with the circumstances.

    E123. A Defense of the Lone Wolf

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2023 28:28


    Many creatives and artists have a bit of the lone wolf in them. But generally speaking, being a lone wolf is looked down on in society. In this episode I mount a defense of this personality type and discuss some of the things that make lone wolves awesome human beings worthy of understanding, love, and admiration.

    E122. Three Kinds of Creative Boredom and How to Handle Them

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2023 34:41


    What do you do when you lose steam with your creative projects or practice? Nothing will block you faster than feeling bored with your work. When your inspiration and motivation go missing, though, there are some simple remedies that can get you back on track. In this episode I discuss the three levels of creative boredom, how to recognize them, and what to do when they happen. 

    E121. I Think I'm Done with Ambition

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2023 28:29


    I've never been able to figure out if I'm a highly ambitious person or not ambitious enough. What I've settled on is that while my culture tells me I should be ambitious, at heart I'm just not. When I start getting ambitious about my work, my stress levels rise and my burnout is triggered again. In this episode I discuss ambition in reference to creative work and how we can have goals for ourselves while avoiding the negative impact of ambition. Honest Rox's newsletter about the impact of US cultureBBC article about NiksenPsychology Today article on ambition

    E120. Embracing Messy Art in the Age of AI

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2023 23:37


    Will AI-created art change the way we view art and our relationship with it as consumers and creators? I contemplate this question in light of Frank Ocean's ostensibly disastrous but possibly brilliant performance at Coachella this year and the viral hit song featuring Drake and the Weeknd that turned out to be fake. My InstagramArticle on Frank Ocean in the Ringer (by Jeff Weiss).Article on Frank Ocean in GQ (by Eileen Cartter).Switched On Pop episode on the Drake/Weeknd AI songTranscriptContact meWould You Like to Support My Work?Sign up for my newsletter!Buy me a coffee! You can give me a one-time donation using this link. Become a Patron of Stepping Off Now!

    E119. Using Interruption Constructively in Life and Your Creative Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2023 22:53


    Following your intuition when you are being nudged off course is a vital creative skill, but many of us are held hostage by plans and struggle to accept interruptions as positive. We feel derailed and like we're losing control. But creativity requires interruption, because it opens space for something new and unexpected to arise. In this episode I discuss how to facilitate constructive use of interruptions in your life and creative practice by listening to your intuition. Intuition doesn't show up in the way we expect it to, so I also talk about what intuition really feels like when it strikes.My InstagramTranscriptContact meWould You Like to Support My Work?Sign up for my newsletter!Buy me a coffee! You can give me a one-time donation using this link. Become a Patron of Stepping Off Now! 

    E118. Entropy as Art: Turning Pessimism and Negativity into Appreciation

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2023 25:01


    Lately I've been struggling with a growing awareness of pessimism and negativity around me in the world. It seems we are in an age of insecurity, fear, and suspicion. Then the other day I read about the Spiral Jetty, a work of land art on the edge of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and it got me thinking about what art can teach us about dealing with the inevitability of change, struggle, and entropy. Ultimately the way we perceive the world is up to us, and greeting all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams with pessimism and negativity is not our only option. TranscriptContact meWould You Like to Support My Work?Sign up for my newsletter!Buy me a coffee! You can give me a one-time donation using this link. Become a Patron of Stepping Off Now!

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