The Spark File with Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien

Certainty or Creativity - which will you choose?This week, Nathan Hill's novel “Wellness” serves as a springboard for Laura's spark. The specific line that ignited our conversation?  "You can choose to be certain or you can choose to be alive." We'll discuss how this notion impacts all our creative journeys and share wisdom from playwright Stephen Karam on the price of admission for love and artistry.This episode marks the launch of Season 5 with a fresh approach—shorter, more frequent episodes designed to keep your creative sparks burning. Join us as we explore how the need for certainty can hold us back in love and creativity, and how embracing uncertainty can fuel growth and transformation. And consider the scientifically proven placebo effect…just the belief in positive outcomes can lead to positive outcomes. What might happen if we approached our creative work with optimism, hope, and a belief in positive outcomes?Jump back into The Spark File and discover how you can connect with us to turn your sparks of inspiration into a bonfire of creativity!Doors are now open for our next ILLUME cohort. ILLUME is our 9 month mastermind in creativity focusing on completing your creative work while learning the skills you need to successfully launch your project into the world. Book a free, no obligation call with us to find out if ILLUME is right for you. Learn more here: https://programs.thesparkfile.com/illume2024-25

Holy Moly! Season 4 of The Spark File is coming to an end! In this episode, Susan + Laura reminisce on some of our favorite sparks from this season. ..And with a bonus spark inspired by Milwaukee Bucks player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who left us with this mini ted talk when asked if he believed this season was a failure because they didn't win the playoffs. Just because you don't win, do we count that as a fail?.Season 4 of The Spark File is wrapping up, but don't worry - there are 178 episodes of The Spark File for you to binge! 

Ever wonder what's needed to take your creative project to the next level? Or wonder if maybe good is good enough? How do we know when to invest the additional time and energy it's going to take to go from Good to Great? If you're ready or when you're ready to level up your work, Susan and Laura discuss the difference between Good and Great, and some of the factors it takes to get there. Inspired by the book, Good to Great by Jim Collins, but seen through the lens of creativity.

Is there anything better than a well-crafted personal story told with humor, authenticity and heart? Even better if its a TRUE story, right? Well, the folks at The Moth have boiled the art of storytelling down to a science. In this week's episode, Laura and Susan share how sparked they are by The Moth and their book How To Tell a Story. We all have one - tune in to learn how to tell YOUR story!

Friends, trust us when we say it is valuable, meaningful, and potentially essential that you take the time to celebrate your creative wins - large and small! Join us this week as Susan and Laura discuss why it's so important that we take the time to acknowledge and reflect on the milestones and the conclusions, the hits and the misses. 

Do you have a creative project that has never seen the light of day because you just don't think it's ready to share yet? Despite years of effort even? Do you have a creative project you've dreamt of making but you haven't even started yet? Because the thought of it not turning out great keeps you from even trying? On this week's episode, Laura and Susan dig into the plight of the perfectionist.  Thanks to researchers and authors like Brene Brown, we might just have a chance to prevail - IF we can embrace our imperfections and (shocker!) maybe even learn to enjoy them!

Have you gotten into the AI craze yet? Have you asked Chat GPT to write your next marketing plan or promotional copy? Have you asked it to write lines of dialogue, jokes for a stand up routine or a synopsis for your pitch? Have you asked it to write your resume? This week, Susan and Laura dive into what AI might be great for,  where it's limitations are, and where it's headed. Do creatives have anything to worry about? Tune in to sort it all out.

Ever wonder what exactly is going on in your brain when you have an Ah-ha moment? On this week's episode of The Spark File podcast, Susan + Laura discuss what is transpiring in your head when you get that spark of an idea - and the rush of excitement that goes with it!Wouldn't it be great if we could understand it so that we can create conducive conditions to invite more and more Ah-ha moments to happen?!

Were there stashes of gold hidden around the country after the Civil War? Did leaders of the confederate south intend this money fund a second Civil War? Was the outlaw Jesse James responsible for hiding some of this treasure? And has it recently been found?⁠

This week, Laura and Susan discuss that tremor in the force you felt a few weeks ago when New York Magazine's The Cut handed us all The New Rules.These 194 rules on how to exist in polite society, sparked conversations everywhere. Listen in to get our take on their take on everything from dating apps to work slacks, texting friends and lovers or engaging with stangers and others... Are we all doing it wrong??

You know at The Spark File, we are not afraid to contemplate our own mortality, especially if doing so enhances our lives and our creativity. According to the author, Michael Hebb, “Of the many critical conversations we will all have throughout our lifetime, few are as important as the ones discussing death—and not just the practical considerations, such as DNRs and wills, but what we fear, what we hope, and how we want to be remembered.”On this week's episode of The Spark File podcast, Susan and Laura dig into these critical conversations, aided by Hebb's book, “Let's Talk about Death over Dinner.”Pull up a chair and we'll serve you up a delicious and substantial dialogue that will increase your end-of-life awareness and just might magnify your celebration of LIFE!

This week, Laura and Susan get sparked by a corporate apology that was so authentic it made the news. Discovering the components necessary for an apology to be sincere, this episode explores the painful blocks that keep good people from being able to apologize, AND the creative ways artists have used apologies (or the absence of apologies) to inspire their creative work. Sites like SorryWatch.com share incredible sparks of apology and introduced us to an artist named Jennifer Dalton and her work titled, "Mistakes Were Made." 

Ever wonder what you can accomplish in an 8 minute phone call?Turns out... A LOT! In this week's episode of The Spark File podcast, Susan + Laura dig into the The New York Times feature "The 7 Day Happiness Challenge" and explore the little things that can make a BIG difference in our relationships and our lives. Take a listen, then ask yourself, "who you gonna call?"...

Do you feel that people value you only for your output, so you put work above all else, even above getting a good night's sleep? Or have you ever been so busy that you've uttered the dreaded humble brag “I'll sleep when I'm dead?” In this episode, Laura and Susan discuss what going without sleep can do to your life and your creativity, the normalization of grind culture, some positive steps we all can take to rest and rejuvenate, and what, exactly, Warren Zevon has to do with any of it.

Why is it so hard for us to break patterns that are keeping us from our goals? In this episode, Susan and Laura discuss and discover the ways in which we as humans and artists can navigate lasting positive change. They dive into the powerful process and book “Immunity to Change,” by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey, which unravels the concept of change and specifically how to close the gap between aspiration/good intention and actual behavior shifts. Susan and Laura discover that when experimenting with our own paths to change, remaining open and curious, not jumping to problem solving, and trusting the process can help. And so can a game of canasta every now and then.

What do a 1998 wall calendar, a couple's disappearance, and a half-burned postcard have to do with one man's quest to create the perfect home? In this episode, Laura and Susan discuss the true story of a film editor who took his own obsession for acquiring his dream home perhaps a little too far. Petty crime, lost relationships, and a last-minute trip to a remote part of Spain are just a few of the pieces to the puzzle of this incredible story of one man and his quest to own a three-story building in Brooklyn. Sparks and story ideas are everywhere, y'all. Even in the Real Estate section.Interested in joining a warm and inviting clan of creatives? Want to get your creative project off the ground with the support of these two coaches? We're here for it! Learn more about The Spark File BLAZE program and book a free, no obligation phone call with us so we can learn more about you and assess how we might be able to help! We believe in you.

Words and language have real power. In this episode, Susan and Laura explore the amazing works and incredible life of someone who managed to harness that power to the benefit of so many: Toni Morrison, Nobel and Pulitzer prize winning author and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As they pull back the curtain to look at her work and creative process, Susan and Laura discuss Toni's ability to center her own world in her writing, the ways in which her philosophies apply directly to their creative work, and exactly how carrot cake fits into it all.Interested in joining a warm and inviting clan of creatives? Want to get your creative project off the ground with the support of these two coaches? We're here for it! Learn more about The Spark File BLAZE program and book a free, no obligation phone call with us so we can learn more about you and assess how we might be able to help! We believe in you.

Artists and athletes have a lot more in common than one might think, but our culture seems to encourage choosing one over the other.  In this episode, Laura and Susan discuss what artists can learn from athletes...including training, incremental progress, the discomfort of having a beginner's mind, and so much more.Interested in joining a warm and inviting clan of creatives? Want to get your creative project off the ground with the support of these two coaches? We're here for it! Learn more about The Spark File BLAZE program and book a free, no obligation phone call with us so we can learn more about you and assess how we might be able to help! We believe in you.

You know the old trope that one must suffer for their art? That creativity is somehow the byproduct of mental illness or addiction or self-harm?  It is time for that idea to go! An examined life can contribute greatly to our enjoyment of life, and to our creative work. In this episode, Susan and Laura discuss the relation of mental health to creativity and the innovative ways in which creators like Neal Brennan, Selena Gomez, Jonah Hill, and many more are infusing their mental health journeys into their creative work, showing that an artist can be brilliant and also prioritize their mental health. And remember, if you are in the United States and need immediate mental health support, you can call 988 and you will be connected to a trained counselor. (Painting: "Self-Portrait in Hell" by Edvard Munch.)

Susan and Laura have found that when they bring up the idea of promoting one's own work with their creative clients, the idea is almost always met with a sense of dread. So, how can creators combat this feeling? By making marketing part of the creative process. In this episode, Laura and Susan explore the methodologies and philosophies of the innovative Blue Man Group and how this unique approach to marketing, (which Cams was deeply involved with), helped build their global brand and, more importantly, stay true to themselves in the process.

Many people have the desire to spin their lived experience into their creative self-expression, Susan and Laura included. This desire can present a conundrum as these creations can feature people other than the creator, or have ideas in them that might make a loved one uncomfortable, or are about a topic that some close to us might consider to be taboo. So how do we create with freedom and without fear? In this episode, Susan and Laura turn to the works of Banksy, Anne Lamott, David Sedaris, David Wellington, and more while discovering one approach to creating without fear: the idea of creating like your loved ones are never going to read it, hear it, or see it. Or, put another way, creating like your parents are dead…again. 

In Michael Easter's book, The Comfort Crisis, he shares his belief that the modern day creature comforts – air conditioning, food storage, etc., have made us more comfortable as a society and in turn given us extra time that we have filled with worry and anxiety. In this episode, Laura and Susan discuss what comforts we have put into place in regards to our creativity that are stopping us from stretching our creative limits. What if we push ourselves to explore those artistic areas in which we don't feel comfortable? We just might realize that we are capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to be right now.

This spark itself is so vast, but in order to right-size it for this episode, Susan and Laura stay on this important thread: creativity as it relates to abortion rights activism. They discuss risk-taker Carol Downer and her 1960s feminist movement “The Self Helpers," Mexican activist Verónica Cruz, who has dedicated her life to advancing the human rights of women in Mexico and beyond through her organization La Libres, which she founded in 2000, journalist Stephania Taladrid's incredible reporting on “The Post-Roe Abortion Underground,” how a multigenerational network of activists is taking extraordinary risks to keep abortions accessible, and so much more. 

They hiked, they swam, they danced, they learned archery, all while being immersed in a horrific ideology. Susan and Laura dive into the shocking true story behind Camp Siegfried, located in the idyllic hamlet of Yaphank, New York, and the beautiful, seductive piece of theater that playwright Bess Wohl crafted out of it all. And so much more. There are certain sparks that light a firestorm in our brains. This is one of them.

Sparks of creativity can come from so many experiences including gratitude and joy, loss and devastation, and even total destruction. On this episode, Susan and Laura discuss some incredible creative works inside these topics, including the shocking play “Madea,” which was given a new life by director/performer Fiona Shaw on the BBC, the devastatingly beautiful book “Wave” by author and economist Sonali Deraniyagala, and even a special hidden gem embedded right into our very own Spark File website. Join us in celebrating the human possibility of creativity.

'Tis the season, everyone! The 4th season, to be exact! Time to jump back into our spark files and share some creative inspiration! This week we're just dippin' our toes in and teasing out a few of the topics we're gonna cover in the coming weeks!Remember, if you hear something that piques your interest, you gotta take it and make it!Happy creating, y'all!

For everything there is a season, friends! And this season is winding down. Time for a brief respite. But, before we go, let's talk season highlights! And we'll leave you with an excerpt from In Your Light by Rumi...“I know you're tired but come, this is the way...In your light, I learn how to love.In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you,but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.You and I have spoken all these words, but for the way we have to go, words are no preparation. I have one small drop of knowing in my soul.Let it dissolve in your ocean.A mountain keeps an echo deep inside. That's how I hold your voice.Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”  Friends! We are opening the doors to our upcoming classes! Whether you need an quick infusion of energy and momentum into your creative project, ongoing support for a long-form project or a group of fellow professionals to support you on your creative journey - we've got you covered.Go to thesparkfile.com to sign up for a no pressure, no obligation call. We'd love to hear what your working on and determine how we can help you make your vision a reality! Friends! We are opening the doors to our upcoming classes! Whether you need an quick infusion of energy and momentum into your creative project, ongoing support for a long-form project or a group of fellow professionals to support you on your creative journey - we've got you covered.Go to thesparkfile.com to sign up for a no pressure, no obligation call. We'd love to hear what your working on and determine how we can help you make your vision a reality!

Long time listeners will know what a joy this episode was for us!In the way back times, Susan introduced us to a human spark named Lynne Cox - a celebrated athlete who set swimming records around the world and achieved astonishing feats of strength and endurance (including swimming with a baby gray whale - eighteen feet long! - in open waters)She is internationally famous for swimming the world's most difficult waterways without a wet suit, and she is able to endure water temperatures so cold they would kill anyone else.Lynne is the acclaimed best-selling author of Swimming to Antarctica and many more books, including her upcoming Tales of Al.She is also a beautiful human being who recognizes and celebrates all forms of athleticism and creativity in others!And this week, we got to talk to Lynne!! Join us as we explore the creative mindset of Lynne Cox - her resilience, gravitas, discipline, imagination… (make us stop because we could go on and on…) Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

John Lennon said, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end”This week, we admire the imagination and, frankly, the balls of @connorratliff, creator of Dead Eyes podcast.Connor created an unbelievable podcast experience in order to solve what he calls “a very stupid mystery that has haunted him for two decades: why Tom Hanks fired him from a small role in the 2001 HBO mini-series, Band of Brothers.”Instead of running from the experience, he dove directly into the mix of emotions surrounding the event  - confusion, shame, humor - and found a very entertaining way to explore it all.He took a perceived ‘failure' and created a new (and very satisfying) ending to the story.In other words, he gave himself quite possibly the best “Let Me Try That Again” that we've ever seen. By taking charge of ALL the stories of perceived failure, Collin has empowered us all to rewrite the ending.And we are here for it.Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

This week, Susan and Laura got to hang with bad ass lighting designer and friend, Marc Janowitz, whose holistic, dynamic lighting designs illuminate a story and light up an audience.His bold, no holds barred lighting transforms comedians into a rock stars and rock stars into gods.Tune in to hear how Marc approaches designs for concerts for My Morning Jacket, The Lumineers, Fun., and many others, and comedy specials like Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Flight of the Conchords, Bo Burnham, theatre shows like Blue Man Group and Forbidden Broadway and so much more…Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

This week, after experiencing unexpected loss, Laura and Susan discuss the role of grief and friendship, and the bittersweet and inevitable intermixing of joy and heartbreak along this journey we call life. Inspired by the genius of Brene Brown, Karen Walrond and Susan Cain, Laura and Susan agree with the conclusion that our broken hearts connect us all. And as creators all we can hope to do is make works of profound sadness and beauty. Break our hearts. Use all of the pain. Like Marcus Aurelius said, “A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it”Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

This week, Susan and Laura had the distinct pleasure of unpacking the mind of Mike Michalowicz, the man Simon Sinek claims might be “the patron saint of entrepreneurs”.We have to agree.He's a saint, but our kind of saint -  comfortable with subversive humor served with a dash of profanity. On a mission to end entrepreneurial poverty, Mike changed our lives (and the way we think about making a living) with his book, Profit First. He has done the same for millions of other entrepreneurs as well.If you want a fresh, bold perspective on earning a living as a creative entrepreneur, please tune in! Mike is a joy to talk to, and life-changing to learn from!Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

Whether the war in Ukraine is causing feelings of unease, uncertainty, or outrage, there are creative ways to activate and support. There are ways to use your talents and resources for the power of good.Tune in this week to hear of creative acts by artists and others to support our colleagues in Ukraine. If you've wondered how you can put your thoughts and prayers into action – this episode is for you!Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

Everywhere you look these days there is a con going down… Inventing Anna, The Tinder Swindler, The Dropout, The Puppermaster, Super Pumped, WeCrashed… Con artists are having a moment.  Tune in this week to learn more about the hustle, and how you can avoid being a “sucker”, a “stooge”, or a “gull” – Better yet, turn the confidence game into an inspired spark!Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

Tired of the “starving artist” trope? Sick of the storyline that says “I'm creative and eccentric, I'm no good with numbers” Isn't it time you felt a sense of personal agency over your finances? You are smart and capable. Tune in for some tips on how you can be even smarter and more capable.Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

You know that voice in your head? The one that drives you crazy sometimes? The one that points out your flaws and re-plays your mistakes over and over? What is the point of that voice?Tune in this week as we gain an understanding of how to tame this voice, and put it to good use, thanks to Chatter: The Voice in our Head, Why it Matters, and how to Harness it by Ethan Kross.

Sit back and marvel at this true tale of limitations inspiring ART as a survival job in less than ideal circumstances.That's right. The Florida Highwaymen turned to art to elevate themselves and their community out of poverty while reflecting the beauty of Florida landscapes.These master painters (some trained and some self-taught) captured the beauty they saw around them, and supported their community with the profits. Dive into the lives and the legacy they painted for themselves…Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

Want to know what every single creative can learn from the development and launch of Wordle, the simple and most unexpected game of the century? Recorded riiiiiiiight before Wordle was sold to The New York Times, we can still learn how creating for an audience of one, making your work accessible and so much more relates to everything we hope to share with the world.Listen in.  Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

You have undoubtedly heard her unforgettable voice on hits such as “Everybody, Everybody”, “It's Raining Men” and so many more.But Martha Wash had to use her voice to fight to make sure you knew her name.Tune in to find out how Martha took the record labels to task for abusing the demo track system.Martha paved the way for all artists - to make sure they get paid, and get credit for the talents they contribute.Trust us, you'll be singing HER praises once you hear how she put her voice to work for the powers of good.Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

If you've ever found yourself scrolling through your feeds or combing through google search results thinking “there must be something more out there”, well, this episode is for you!Laura and Susan dive into the concept of “Rewilding Your Attention” - the phrase was coined by Tom Critchlow, shared by CJ Eller and then expanded up on by Clive Thompson. And the bat signal was seen by @thesparkfile.Let us look for the small, weird things. And then let us pass them on.Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

This week, snuggle up and join Susan and Laura as they delve into Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.If you've ever wondered why we feel a pull to retreat indoors and slow down as the days get darker - look no further. It is not your imagination, and it is very much a necessity that we take time  to quiet our minds and slow our rolls, so that we can look inward and heal, and maybe even learn to hope again.If you are struggling (any time of year), consider giving yourself the gift of wintering.Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

This week, Laura and Susan dig into this taboo topic and explore how and why shame  keeps us from talking about money, and sometimes even doing anything about money. But valuing ourselves for the amount of money we have accrued has not always been the norm, in fact, it is a rather new framework.  Listen in and imagine a time when we valued ourselves, our communities and the quality of our lives by a different standard.Make 2022 the year you go from dreaming about what you want to make, to making what you've been dreaming about!Learn more about The Spark File IGNITE here!

Sometimes a spark is so surprising, so complex and thought provoking it can stun you into silence. And so it was when Susan shared Operation Paperclip with Laura.As outlined in the book, Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen, information on this secret United States intelligence program was recently de-classified and we are now all learning about the plan to bring Nazi Germany scientists to the US to harness their intellectual resources.Defenders of the decision to welcome the scientists here have argued that the combined knowledge of these rocket scientists and nuclear scientists could have ended up in the hands of the Soviets, if the US had taken no action. Others wonder what are the ethical and moral costs of allowing their unimaginable war crimes to go without punishment or accountability.This is a #dark spark. Listen in to try to make sense of it all.Join us for The Spark File Annual New Year Creativity Kickoff on January 1st and 2nd. This 2 day virtual retreat will help you refocus your goals and lay the foundation for making 2022 your most creative year yet! Let us help you go from dreaming about what you want to make to making what you've been dreaming about. Go to thesparkfile.com to register. Spots are limited, so register now!

What keeps us from writing those pages we say we WANT to write? What keeps us from taking that first small step toward our goal? What keeps us from doing anything at all related to our creative vision?Why, its our dear ol' pal, Creative Resistance.This week, Laura and Susan dive into the warm and cozy distractions that keep us safe from the consequence of risk - creative risk, that is. These tactics show up anytime we are close to creating something of meaning or significance and make for damn sure we don't go anywhere near it. Are we supposed to say thank you? The answer is more complex than you think…Join us for The Spark File Annual New Year Creativity Kickoff on January 1st and 2nd. This 2 day virtual retreat will help you refocus your goals and lay the foundation for making 2022 your most creative year yet! Let us help you go from dreaming about what you want to make to making what you've been dreaming about. Go to thesparkfile.com to register. Spots are limited, so register now!

This week, Susan and Laura dip their toes into the topic of Collaboration via the Metallica Masterclass. They discuss how the members of Metallica, guided by their mantra “whatever's best” for the project, share how they communicate, keep their egos in check, get the most out of everyone, and how they stay inspired to come together to create great things. They share a commitment to the music, yes, but an even larger commitment to each other.Join us for The Spark File Annual New Year Creativity Kickoff on January 1st and 2nd. This 2 day virtual retreat will help you refocus your goals and lay the foundation for making 2022 your most creative year yet! Let us help you go from dreaming about what you want to make to making what you've been dreaming about. Go to thesparkfile.com to register. Spots are limited, so register now!

Here at The Spark File, our mission is to spark creativity, free innate self-expression, and grant permission to fear less and create more.  In this episode, we share two recently discovered like-minded creative organizations that have completely lit us up!Here's how it happened…First, Pam Harris introduced us to @creativemornings and Creative Mornings introduced us to @streetwisdom_  and Street Wisdom introduced us to @davidpearl_here and David Pearl introduced us to his book Wanderful: Human Navigation for a Complex World… and we now we have newfound space for reflection, joy and yes, even more CREATIVITY in our lives. Whew! You heard it here first, folks. That is how contagious joyful self-expression and creativity can be. Pass it on.Join us for The Spark File Annual New Year Creativity Kickoff on January 1st and 2nd. This 2 day virtual retreat will help you refocus your goals and lay the foundation for making 2022 your most creative year yet! Let us help you go from dreaming about what you want to make to making what you've been dreaming about. Go to thesparkfile.com to register. Spots are limited, so register now!

This week, Susan and Laura delve into the very best ways social media can be used - to inspire, educate and spread joy.  We call this The Spark Side of Social Media.Listen and light yourself up with tales of legacy-worthy chocolate via @morticianinthekitchen, kneel at the alter of @andy_birkey's gothic woodworking, and marvel at the beauty of fore edge printing (did you know this even existed?!?) Turns out, good and meaningful things exist on social, when you know where to look!Join us for The Spark File Annual New Year Creativity Kickoff on January 1st and 2nd. This 2 day virtual retreat will help you refocus your goals and lay the foundation for making 2022 your most creative year yet! Let us help you go from dreaming about what you want to make to making what you've been dreaming about. Go to thesparkfile.com to register. Spots are limited, so register now!

This week, Laura and Susan explore the inexplicable craving to consume pandemic-related entertainment during a pandemic -  not entertainment about the current state of the world, no, we prefer  imaginary pandemics dreamed up in the minds of fiction writers and TV writers like Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The End of October by Lawrence Wright, The Walking Dead and more.  These are some of the works imagined by creative minds at a time when an actual pandemic was a scary but far-fetched idea…Listen in to hear how Laura made her way through a tunnel of imaginary pandemic entertainment and emerged on the other side with extreme respect and admiration for #NormanReedus.Join us for The Spark File Annual New Year Creativity Kickoff on January 1st and 2nd. This 2 day virtual retreat will help you refocus your goals and lay the foundation for making 2022 your most creative year yet! Let us help you go from dreaming about what you want to make to making what you've been dreaming about. Go to thesparkfile.com to register. Spots are limited, so register now!

Welcome back, Sparklers! All are welcome here. As long as no one is being a d**k, you are invited to be your real, open, authentic selves. This week on The Spark File, Susan and Laura get warmed up for Season 3! They share their gratitude and a mini-spark about indigenous food from The New York Times and an article about Sean Sherman, creator of The Sioux Chef.The Spark File is created on the lands of the Lenape.Join us for The Spark File Annual New Year Creativity Kickoff on January 1st and 2nd. This 2 day virtual retreat will help you refocus your goals and lay the foundation for making 2022 your most creative year yet! Let us help you go from dreaming about what you want to make to making what you've been dreaming about. Go to thesparkfile.com to register. Spots are limited, so register now!

In the season 2 finale of The Spark File podcast, Susan and Laura celebrate the highlights of the past year - revisiting favorite sparks of inspiration, and recognizing the incredible achievements of the participants in The Spark File Select Group Creativity Coaching program. 

This week, Susan and Laura got to spend extra time with their beloved Hunter Bell, Tony and Drama Desk nominee, Spark File Creativity Coaching client, and creative / writer / maker extraordinare! Tune in to feel the love and the belly laughs. Too much is never enough Hunter Bell.