slow inside

 in this conversation with self-help pioneer and author of, "why bother: discover the desire for what’s next," jennifer louden talks about claiming your agency and knowing your work matters, how to know when to stop bothering and move on to something else? what to do when you don’t know what your desires are, how to keep choosing yourself over and over again and how to be vulnerable in your work and then share it with the world.

there are those souls that are both soft and strong, wise and wide open. toko-pa is one of those souls.when toko-pa was just 15 she ran away from a violent, destructive home life and found herself having to navigate “the system.” the next decade was a hard one as she figured out, on her own, how to become an adult in a complicated, often uncaring world. this was the beginning of her search for belonging.this search has led her down many creative, beautiful paths and today she is the founder of dreamschool: weaving a living bridge to the otherworld as well as the author of the award-winning book belonging: remembering ourselves home. in toko-pa’s words, “in addition to tending dreams, my work focuses on restoring the feminine, reconciling paradox, elevating grief, and facilitating ritual.”join us as we explore a pathway home.some things we talk about: how to start down the path of belonging to yourself and the worldwhen she lost sight of her creativity and how she came back to itfinding your own values and  your own voiceher own creative process and how she gets to what is truewhen it’s time to commit and when it’s time to let go (and how to tell the difference)and cultivating a vision for your life in tune with your longingyou can learn more at daphnecohn.com or follow BEYOND on instagram @daphnecohn

in this episode of the ten-part series, "who we might become," joy researcher, jesh de rox, explains what is joy, why it’s so important to creativity, and how to connect to ithow to respond to sadness and pain with a creative spiritthe path to greatnessand how we let go of what doesn’t serve us anymore in order to make what doesyou can learn more about jesh and download the remaining seven episodes of this series over at daphnecohn.comyou can check out "within studio": a community with hands-on art workshops, live q & a's with well known artists, makers, and activists, open studios and monthly check-ins at daphnecohn.comwithin studio is currently pay-what-you-can in response to covid-19 and all the financial uncertainty during this time. and you can follow the BEYOND podcast over at instagram @daphnecohn 

join joy researcher, jesh de rox, and I for part 2 of our ten-part mini-series “who we might become.” in this episode we explore how to see differently, create your own language and change the culture with your creativity. some things we talk about: the seed of all creativitythe three stages of the creative processthe gift of enough and not enoughwhat it takes to become an artist who will actually produce change in the larger culturewhy joy matters so muchand how to start breaking the rules and creating something new.you can learn more about jesh and previous podcast guests over at daphnecohn.comyou can check out the pay-what-you-can "within studio" membership community at withincommunity.com. there are monthly live q & a's with artists and makers, bi-monthly creativity check-ins and weekly open studios. it's a chance to gather, make, love, laugh, play, and make some more. and you can follow the BEYOND podcast over at instagram @daphnecohn

jesh de rox, at heart, is an explorer. a man who has spent much of his life asking the big questions; the ones that help make sense of who we are and why we’re here. over the years, traveling the planet, immersing himself in experiences and conversations that test the boundaries of commonly accepted ideology and culture, jesh has become a very successful creative entrepreneur, thought leader, and business coach.through his journey, jesh learned to shape and grow his businesses based on principles of joy and personal growth. his work has been featured in Vogue, Huffington Post, Elle, and Range Finder, to name a few, and he has an international client list that includes celebrities and world-class performers in many fields.in this ten-part mini series, "who we might become," we dive deep into ALL things creative: permission and courage, social media and sharing, rejection and criticism, discovery and greatness, and ultimately, who we might become.these are big topics and we go pretty deep with a lot of them. we visit, and revisit, many of them over the ten episodes (which I will be sharing weekly) so if at first some of it feels too deep or too vast, give it time. let it wash over you and slowly integrate into your being. 

marlee grace is a writer, a dancer, an artist, and a “shape maker.”she has books on social media addiction and  “how to not always be working.” she teaches and does creative advising. she has a podcast and a project called CENTER, “an experiment unfolding in space and time.”she lives in a patriarchal, cisnormative, heterosexual-driven culture as a queer female artist constantly blurring the lines of the known and the unknown. she is not afraid to be many things and she is not afraid to share her truth in all of it.here are marlee's thoughts on spinning out and getting calm, sharing truth, grappling with doubt and living in joy, and using all of it to find your own “right size.”some things we talk about:how she stays present and manages anxiety, obsessive thinkingon being honest about who you are even when that means losing those who follow youhow quitting drinking has informed her workher daily “marlee maintenance” planmaking what’s most important to who you are

with the world falling into chaos, it always lightens my heart to find artists and women like elaine. elaine is a rebel of the highest cause: rising up against the worst parts of a capitalist economy to bring about a more sustainable, peaceful life for all.elaine’s studio, inner fields, is founded on the principles of deep ecology and buddhism. inner fields has two key wings: on one side are elaine’s prints, pigment drawings and works on paper; on the other side are her hosted listening and drawing communal events.in all that she does, elaine brings sincerity, intention, awareness and love. as life seems to be getting busier, anxiety levels are rising and loneliness is at an all-time high, elaine is helping ease the pain and suffering of others through the use of natural materials, art that awakens, and “ephemeral art projects” that create community, connection, and change.some things we talk about: creating a sustainable art business in an unsustainable economyusing creativity to craft your own path and create your own way forwardart making that supports the world, the planet and the people on itthe philosophies that govern everything: her art, her work, and her lifedealing with doubt and fear as you step into all that you desireto listen to more brave and experimental artists head on over to the creativity habit  and you can follow the creativity habit on instagram @daphnecohn

laurie wagner is an expert on telling the truth. it’s the way she writes, teaches, and lives.there was a time early on in laurie’s success when the success began taking precedence over the truth. what the market wanted became more important than what her heart wanted. so she quit.she left the public writing world behind – the world of book deals and magazine articles – to find her own words. she turned to teaching as a way of making money while writing privately to discover what really mattered.in laurie’s words: “as my other friends who were in journalism got more deeply into writing the kinds of stories their editors were giving them I was going off trail and writing the kinds of stories that meant something to me and that’s where I found myself.”today laurie teaches wild writing through weekly workshops in her home and online. she takes people on writing retreats around the world and she teaches people how to be teachers of wild writing. she is the author of seven books and her work has appeared in numerous publications including salon, glamour, the huffington post, and the san francisco chronicle.she is a coach a teacher and a writer. but above all she is “tender truth serum in human form.”some things we talk about:how to get from “stuck” to “unstuck”sage advice on creating your brandhow being authentic in your art changes your life (and vice versa)when and how you invite your reader/viewer inabandoning success in search of her personal truthyou can learn more about laurie at 27powers.orgyou can explore more brave and experimental artists and makers at the creativity habit 

this is world-renowned photographer, brooke shaden's, second time on the creativity habit podcast. in this conversation brooke shares how she built an entire career, and life, basing every decision on this one question: will this bring me, and others, maximum fulfillment? and she means EVERY decision.in this conversation we talk about:how to trust your voice above anyone else’ssaying, and making, what’s important (and how it can change your ENTIRE career)how to practice braverythe importance of aligning with your money mindset and sharing your art as a businessmay it inspire you to make your thing and change your world.for more episodes check out: the creativity habit

when things were hard for anna as a child, and they often were, she disappeared into writing and reading. she left behind what was hard for a world that was hers. a world where she had power, voice, and words. a world where she made up the rules and created what she wanted.that world was her salvation.eventually anna turned that world into her livelihood. today anna is a writer, an editor and a creative entrepreneur. she teaches writing to women who want to share their stories and live fully self-expressed lives. her first book, “the creative doer: a brave woman’s guide from dreaming to doing”  is for “female creators, activists, and magic makers.” there is so much in this conversation. if you want to connect to your power and share your truth, this interview is for you.some things we talk about: the trial and error of sharing vulnerablyhow to create safe spaces within the fear (so that you can do what you need to do despite being scared)honoring your natural rhythm and creative cyclegetting back into your body (even when it doesn’t feel safe) and creating from your heart instead of your headstriving and what to do when it’s running (and ruining) your creative work