The podcast discusses anxiety in writing, including procrastination and distractions. They share strategies for staying focused and productive, as well as managing stress and finding balance. The importance of socializing and exploring anxieties as an artist is emphasized. They also give a writing assignment to create an experimental novel about body parts.
Collaboration and having a supportive community is essential for writers to overcome anxiety and stay on track.
Engaging in achievable tasks, taking care of mental and physical health, and setting boundaries are effective strategies to manage anxiety and improve creative work.
Deep dives
Dealing with Anxiety as an Artist
The podcast episode features a discussion between Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Crainer, where they explore the role of anxiety in their creative process as writers. They emphasize the importance of collaboration and having a supportive community to keep them on track. They share their personal experiences with anxiety manifesting as procrastination and a shortened attention span. They discuss coping techniques such as structured breaks and working on less important or achievable tasks. They highlight the significance of taking care of your mental and physical health, including therapy, healthy eating, exercise, and socializing. They encourage artists to recognize that artistic success doesn't require their work to be perfect or everlasting. The episode concludes with assignments for listeners: a podcast recommendation and a writing exercise focused on writing about different body parts.
Exploring 'Mark Can't Rap' Podcast
The 'Mark Can't Rap' podcast is recommended for its exploration of rap music as an art form and the challenges faced by Mark Grist, a British poet, in trying to rap. The podcast follows Mark Grist as he talks to professional rappers and learns about the complexities of rap. It delves into his anxieties as a cultural outsider entering the world of rap and his struggles to develop his rap skills. The podcast culminates in Mark Grist creating a mixed tape of his own raps. Listeners are encouraged to listen to the podcast and gain insights into an artist's journey to master a new art form.
Writing Exercise: Body Parts
Listeners are assigned a writing exercise that involves setting aside 10 minutes every day for 5 days to write non-stop about a different body part. The exercise focuses on exploring autobiographical or fictional narratives related to the body part assigned for each day. The goal is to develop a regular writing habit and produce a tangible outcome by organizing the written pieces into sections with bolded titles. The exercise emphasizes the importance of finding achievable and repeatable tasks to develop artistic skills and push through anxieties about the quality of one's work.
Taking Care of Mental and Physical Health
Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Crainer discuss the significance of taking care of one's mental and physical health as artists. They emphasize the role of healthy eating, exercise, and spending time outdoors in maintaining a balanced mindset. They highlight the importance of therapy for those who can afford it and socializing with other artists to build a supportive community. They share personal experiences and coping strategies, including finding achievable and repeatable tasks to alleviate anxiety about artistic endeavors and setting boundaries to ensure time off for oneself.
Have you ever had a big deadline and all of a sudden you have to listen to that new audiobook? In this episode, we talk about how anxiety about your writing can lead to moments like this. Then we discuss ways to motivate yourself from steering into the skid, to doing achievable tasks, as well as how taking care of your body and mind affects your creative work.
Consume: Listen to Mark Can’t Rap with British poet Mark Grist
Create: Set a calendar alert for 5 days in a row to spend 10 mins writing non-stop.
Each day, write about a different body part. At the end of the 5 days, put each of the sections together and look at the experimental novel you’ve created.
Credits: Jeffrey Cranor (host) & Joseph Fink (host), Julia Melfi (producer), Grant Stewart (editor), Vincent Cacchione (mixer). Rob Wilson (logo).
Theme written by Joseph Fink. Currently performed by listener Mike Lynch. If you'd like your own cover of the theme song featured on this show, email us at startwiththis@nightvalepresents.com or share it in our membership community.
